Harry Potter and the Orb of Chaos
by kha0z
Summary: A new character, Ion, enters Harry Potter's world. Both Harry and Ion journey through sixth year and the dangers that come with it. This fantastic new world's perils forcefully blur the line of good and evil.
1. Beginning of a Beginning

Chapter 1: The Beginning of a Beginning

Chapter One: The Beginning of a Beginning

The room was filled with portraits of older wizards and witches and had many tables and cabinets—all looking rather expensive. On the tables, silver instruments stood smoking and rattling gently. On the desk of the old wizard, Albus Dumbledore, lay many pieces of paper and a large book. The tome was maroon with gold letters written on the front, which wrote "Hogwarts' Student List". The book was glowing slightly and emitting a soft hum. The hum and glow were alerts to the headmaster that the new list of students was ready. Every year the book glowed and hummed to signify the addition of a number of new first year students. The tome would automatically list the students who were to be invited to attend Hogwarts that term.

"Albus, are you ready to begin?" the severe looking witch with pointy hat and glasses said.

"Of course, Minerva," he replied. He was organizing the messy papers that were piled on the desk.

"Let us begin with…" She fumbled with the papers. "…the seventh year book list and schedules." They worked through writing a list of supplies and books that would be sent out to the seventh year students. They then quickly drafted the schedules that would work best for all the teachers.

"That was easy," the headmaster said with a smile.

"We have barely even started yet…" They then began to work on the sixth then the fifth year students. Those two years were almost as easy as the seventh years. The fourth years were significantly more difficult because it was harder to manage teachers and times with so many students. By the time they reached the first years the entire layout had been edited several times.

"This will be much easier than the previous because there are no more spaces left except for the first years," the older man said with a sigh.

"Yes, let us just look over the new names for Muggle-borns so we may plan to alert them properly." They opened the large tome and told it to turn to incoming students. The book sprang open and began flipping its pages as if a powerful wind was focused on the book. The tome stopped on a page titled incoming first years. All the names were written in black except for children that were not part of wizarding society. Next to the name was the birthday and location of the student. The two wrote down the names, locations, and birthdays of all the Muggle-born students. The boring review of the names continued as normally until they landed on the name 'Ion Winterz.'

The tall boy walked through the halls of the larger building with a sense of dread filling his heart. He knew what was to come because it happened very often to others. Once they reached that age they were sent out on their own. It was technically legal because seventeen was the minimum age to be allowed alone, but it was highly unethical because they were still not eighteen. Leaving this place would be very difficult for anyone, because there was not much to go to outside the walls. He came to the door and knocked lightly hoping he could prolong the inevitable.

"Hello, Ion," greeted an older woman with gray hair and a purple sweater. "Thank you for coming. This is a very important talk we must have." She gave a smile that failed miserably to hide her pity.

"Yes, I understand."

"You see it is now the end of spring and summer will begin along with many opportunities for you. You have turned seventeen recently and our policy is strict here. You must leave the orphanage within two weeks.

It is not how we wish things would be, but our hands are tied by the government. Of course, you will be given a small aid every month from the government until you are eighteen, but you must move out on your own now."

"I understand that is how it MUST be," he hissed the words poisonously. "I just think the whole system is terrible. The government is condemning me to incredible difficulties, but I will not complain. Are we done here?"

"Yes, Ion, I believe we can leave it at that for now." The boy stormed from the room, angry and somewhat excited. He was angry that he was being forced to leave the only home he had in over a decade, but he was excited because a new journey filled with challenges awaited him.

"What do you make of it, Albus?"

"I have no idea, Minerva…" the old wizard whispered losing the twinkle in his eyes. "He just turned seventeen and the book is only picking up his magic now."

"Could it be possible that his magic was dormant until now?"

"No, not at all. It could detect dormant magic just as effectively."

"Well there has to be an explanation!" Professor McGonagall shrieked.

"There must be." The white haired wizard walked across the room to the nearby fireplace. He threw a small amount of Floo powder into the fire and cried, "MINISTRY OF MAGIC, HALL OF RECORDS."

Albus placed his head in the fire and it appeared in a small room filled with tall cabinets. The room had only one man sitting at a desk with his back turned to the fire. "Hello, I am Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts. I need the assistance of your record books," Dumbledore said very quickly. The entire greeting was all too fast for the sitting man to take well.

The man jumped up and yelled, "Who the blazes?"

"That was what I was trying to explain; you should have been listening," the headmaster said with a small smile.

He then slowly restated his greeting and purpose for surprising the man half to death.

"This late? It is quite odd for people to contact me here this time at night." The old man was suspiciously looking at the man as if expecting the head in the fireplace was a plot against him.

"What time is it?"

"It is three o'clock in the morning."

"Oh, sorry I had lost track of the time," the old wizard said with a small laugh. "Yes, could you please look up anyone with the name 'Winterz' in your wizarding database?" The man quickly turned from the head in the fire and walked to a cabinet nearest him. He removed his wand and tapped the top of the cabinet muttering something under his breath. A moment passed and he walked back to the fire.

"The name is not listed in our records." The man said almost shocked. "How do you spell the name and pronounce it exactly?"

"I O N W I N T E R Z. It is pronounced EYE ON WINT ERZ," Dumbledore slowly spoke as if talking to a slow child.

"That is what I thought. No record of that name."

"Ahhh… Check your Muggle records, please."

The man moved to another cabinet opposite the previous cabinet and did the same tap and mutter. The drawer of the cabinet slowly opened with a small folder inside of it. The man grabbed the folder with a triumphant smile and strutted back to the flaming head. "I have it here, not much on him but at least it's something." He placed the folder on his desk and removed his wand from his pocket. '_Refero folder' _the man said clearly while pointing his wand at the documents. "Shall I send the documents immediately by Floo or wait and send it via owl?"

"Floo, please. Thank you very much. Have a good night." The headmaster removed his head from the fire and stepped back. A few seconds later a file appeared in the green fires.

Walking through the dilapidated corridors to his room, which contained many beds, Ion Winterz headed straight for a bed right next to a dirty window. His tall shadow slid across the bed and floor. The boy was taller than average with messy dark hair. It was messy in the way that he didn't care to take care of it. His clothes were dingy and dirty, and they were oddly sized on him. He had light brown eyes, and his face was masked with sophistication most of the times. He never showed his emotions on his face because it got him into many odd situations as a small child.

He stood before the bed that he has slept in for so long, allowing his mind to wander into the shadows areas of his memories. The sequence of events that put him into his first night he ever slept in the bed still was burned into his memories—despite his many attempts to forget it all.

_He was only five when he heard his mother talking with a large man with gray and black hair. His face was still blurry and unidentifiable, but the woman's was crystal clear. She was dark haired and beautiful—at least Ion thought so. She was tall and made Ion feel protected whenever he stood near her. She had always been soothing when the boy needed it and sweet all other times. As a result the boy became very affectionate and needful of care. The man and the woman were arguing about something unrecognizable to the small boy. The boy was sneaking a view of the commotion through a crack in his door. The only thing he remembered of the conversation was his name being mentioned as a waste of space. This enraged the woman, which caused the yelling to escalate. _

_After a few moments Ion remembered himself running to his mother's aid as the man began to hit her. When Ion reached five feet away to saving his mother, the man's hand was around her throat and her body was speeding toward the floor. A split second later her body lay lifeless on the floor with blood trickling away from her head. The man saw the boy and looked utterly terrified. Everything became very hazy at that point.. The man was moving closer to Ion now, but his legs weren't moving. He did not know how he gotten so close but he was less than a foot away. Blackness. The next clear memory was the five year old Ion standing next to the man with a horrible smell in the air. The boy remembered the smell clearly and the fact that he had vomited very profusely. The body of a large man laid on the ground blackened. His body resembled a large pile of dust in the form of a person. _

_Next thing he knew he was walking into a large building with other children looking at him from windows. After being introduced to many children and adults the boy was led to a bed to sleep. Ion did not know how long he slept._

Ion headed back into the corridors that had changed little from his first appearance here. He wanted to walk around the entire orphanage and try to take it all in. He didn't like the memories but they were all he had. He had tried to remember the place as being neutral—trying to forget the absolutely miserable experiences. He quickly went back to his bed after being inspired by an idea. 'I am part of this place whether I like it or not, so why not mark it?' He walked to the bed post where other names had been written. Most of the names looked very old and deep. Surprisingly there was much profanity written over many of the names. Ion read each name wondering if those people that slept in the same bed had the same experiences as him. 'Did this mysterious Robert ever have beatings in the yard? Did Frederick live a happy life after he left? Did this T.M.R ever attempt to become more than a pathetic orphan?' He thought attempting to read other names that were not as clear.

Ion pulled out a small knife from his pocket and carved an 'I' and a 'W' right below the T.M.R. "Wish me luck guys," he said while moving his hand over all the names. 'I think it is about time for some more reminiscing.' He walked back into the corridor and to another dorm room. The dark haired boy walked to a bed that was located in the middle of the room. This room looked very similar to his but was slightly larger. 'Thanks for another I cannot escape, you bastard.'

_It was a cold, rainy day, and the boys of the orphanage had the day off from outside chores. The young Ion, only a few years after arriving at old orphanage, walked to the window of his room to enjoy the rain's tranquil pattering against the glass. "Well, look at the little baby," a boy that looked like a teenager said. The boy was surrounded by five other boys all looking around the same age. "I hear you still cry every night about losing your mother." The boy then gained a small smirk as he continued. "Why does it bother you that the little whore died?" Ion boiled with rage. _

"_Leave me alone," Ion said obviously scared of the large boys. "I will tell on you!"_

_The other boy seemed to smile broadly and without any word of warning he began hitting the small boy. The other boys jumped in feverishly. The boys seemed to have been releasing so much anger and frustration out on the small boy. After a few agonizing minutes, the boys stopped the assault. The leader of the gang grabbed Ion by the hair and dragged him out into the rain. The boys, walking away, made many disgusting remarks concerning his mother, him, his father, and his family. _

"_Get some rope!" the head boy of the gang barked at the others. Ion lay on the grass bleeding and crying. "Stop crying baby! Hey Chris, go stand watch and make sure nobody comes."_

_Another boy returned with rope and tied the small hands and feet of the boy together. They then dug a small hole in the ground about the size of a basketball. They then lined it with a plastic bag. The hole began to fill with water very quickly due to the heavy rain. The boys then grabbed the younger boy and put his head in the hole. They held it there for about thirty seconds ignoring the squirms of the boy. They raised the head of the boy to give him a small breath of air, when the leader asked, "forgot about your mother yet? Oh, stop crying." He then put the boy's head in the hole again. _

"_The groundskeeper is coming!" the boy that was sent to keep guard yelled. The boys then ran away leaving him in the hole. Ion tried to pull his head out but with his tied arms and legs couldn't manage it; he was too small to escape._

_He woke up in the nurse's office of the orphanage. The nurse greeted his recovery and gave the boy a drink of water. She then asked what happened. He explained what the boys had done to him. _

"_Those boys that you accused help save your life. They appeared to help the groundskeeper take you inside. They said that you were trying to prove you could hold your breath for a really long time. They tried to stop you but you did it anyway and when they didn't want to be a part of it you still did it. That kind of behavior is very DANGEROUS! I have no idea how you tied yourself up." The nurse seemed to be very angry with the boy. _

_She then moved him into his bed in the dorm room. His head hurt very badly and his vision was completely blurred. He quickly fell asleep for an unknown amount of time. When he awoke, the orphanage was in utter chaos. There was screaming of a death because a boy had been found dead in his bed in the morning. They had not known the cause; the large boy seemed to have just died. Ion remembered the feeling of justice when they carted the boy's body out of the orphanage. _

"What ever happened to you, you got what you deserved." Ion walked away from the bed into the hall. Ion had many memories of other bullies taking out their frustration on him in severe beatings. The officials of the orphanage never really punished the wrong-doers because they thought it was typical behavior of boys.

"He is in an orphanage," the old witch said exasperatedly.

"Yes, Minerva he is. This is very odd. He should have been listed here years ago. But, there is another problem; his history is very odd."

"Odd?"

"Yes, the parents he was staying with the first five years of his life never had a record of his birth. His birth place is listed as unknown, and date is unknown. But, we do know his birth date thanks to the tome. The notes in the file say that his parents had no record of him existing at all. His file began when he was five. Another odder piece of information is the death of his parents. The mother was murdered by the father, and the father was incinerated in the home. Nothing but him was burned the home was untouched. He seemed to be burned completely inside and out."

"The body was brought back into the house after his burning?"McGonagall seemed bewildered by this turn of information.

"No the body was practically ash, it would be impossible to move the body as a whole." Dumbledore looked extremely troubled.

"What is it? You know something."

"I know nothing, but I can suspect some things. The boy killed the father. It must have been magical burns that did that much damage—"

"That's impossible! The magic that could do that requires a wand. Nobody could possibly produce that much power by spontaneous magic."

"Nobody known… has been able to do it." Dumbledore seemed to sink in his chair a little deeper. "This person has not been known; he is a mystery. This fits in with another of my inferences." He was silent for a minute thinking about exactly what to say. "It makes sense that burns were NOT magical because the ministry would have investigated it." The old witch looked triumphant. "But, it does make sense that the tome doesn't pick up on him."

Professor McGonagall looked absolutely affronted. "How DOES that make SENSE?"

"I am sorry I was not clear. They neither make sense alone but together they do."

"Stop speaking in riddles!"

"Sorry, it is a bad habit, I know. I think he was protected from magical detection."

"Albus, that type of magic is too strong for any normal wizard to conceive. Even you would have a problem with it. That would make the**Fidelius Charm look like child's play."**

**"The magic would be similar to that charm, yes. And you are correct no typical wizard in the world could produce such a charm." Dumbledore stood up and walked to the windows. "Someone of similar magical knowledge and similar power can create it though."**

**"Who else in the world is as strong as you and needed to cast that charm on this boy?"**

**"I can only answer one of those questions, Minerva. You know the answer to it too. The person who is capable of it would be the last person who would need to produce it." **

**"No…"**

**"I believe so; he was in the prime of his power then. A spell of that magnitude would actually be in his power." Professor McGonagall's face was completely in shock and her mouth began to move. "And, yes I'm sure he was the only one who could produce it other than me." **

**"He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is a dark wizard!" She seemed rather hysterical. "He is not capable of producing that kind of charm. HE IS PURE EVIL!" she screamed, but it was not directed at Dumbledore, rather the situation. The white-haired wizard understood her feelings and did not confront her rudeness.**

**"That spell would require a great deal of power, magical knowledge, and yes, love." Dumbledore still stood looking out the window.**

**"You said he was incapable of love," she said quietly as if all hope was lost. "You said that was his main weakness."**

**"I underestimated him once again"**

**The room was still; the papers were much more organized in categorized piles. Everything seemed to be in place except for a folder that contained the files of the mysterious boy. The portraits that had been faking sleep most of the night had quit the façade and were listening intently. **

**"What does this all mean, and what actions do we take?" Her eyebrows furrowed as she realized something. "Why is he coming up in the tome now?"**

**"This strengthens my deductions…" He turned to look at her and the portraits of former headmasters. "After his body was destroyed the first time, the charms must have begun to weaken. The same thing would happen if the Fidelius Charm's caster, secret keeper, and everyone of its knowledge would die." The two walked around the room thinking of solutions and consequences of this event. **

**"Who is this boy?" **

**"Minerva, I cannot say for sure. But, logically it makes sense that it would be his son."**

**"I have to sit down this is too much." **

**They both sat down in their seats once again seemingly forgetting about the work they originally set out to do that night. Many minutes passed with the two both deep in thought. **

**Dumbledore raised his head to speak, which caused the portraits to suddenly stop all movement. "The boy is not his father. We can't single him out or exclude him from our school because of this. We cannot let this information go public. If it does he will become a target for everyone. We must find a way to incorporate him into Hogwarts; he will be safe here. We must find a way get him into upper years."**

**"But, he has not had any magical training."**

**"I think he should be put into sixth year. We will have him take his O.W.Ls at the end of the summer to decide what classes to put him into. We may need to cut him a little slack in O.W.L requirements for certain courses." **

**"Sixth year? Albus, he knows nothing, he doesn't have the time to prepare for everything," sounding sad at the boy's situation and respecting Dumbledore's attempt at helping the boy. **

**"I agree he does not have the time." He walked over to one of his cabinet that held many objects. "But, we do." He held a small golden emblem with an hour-glass in the middle. "This is my personal Time-Turner. The ministry will know nothing about this. I will have the Order create a false history for the boy. The ministry will not suspect anything if we say he is foreign." **

**She smiled slightly; she felt that the old man just might have something there. "Okay, might very well work, but still that is too much for him to accomplish. Reading all those books and practicing spells at an incredible pace?" **

**"In the Ministry of Mysteries they created the first Pensieve centuries ago. Similar ideas have been used to suggest a way to insert information into the long-term memory. The entire procedure is top secret and unpredictable."**

**"How do you know about it?"**

**"A few Unforgivable are in the Order, so they keep me informed of innovations that I could find useful." Dumbledore smiled slyly. "If he is willing, he could test the technology. They will never let it be released to the public because the entire idea of it would be too complicated—an entire world having all the knowledge possible. It will be kept in the ranks of secret Ministry branches and maybe weaker versions to the public. He may have a great opportunity here." Dumbledore began to pace the room trying to figure the entire situation out. **

**"He still would need teachers for practical applications and practice. I will be happy to help the boy. What do you think about the other teachers?"**

**"I will teach him everything other than Transfiguration and Potions. I admit you are a better Transfiguration teacher than I will ever be. Severus is also better at Potions than I ever was." **

**Both professors began to work deeper into the night planning the boy's courses. They wanted to allow him to be prepared for the O.W.Ls just as equally as the other students had been. They thought of a plan to say he had come from America and that is why the Ministry had no record of him. They began writing a letter to the boy inviting him to Hogwarts, and in hopes of talking to him to explain the situation. Dumbledore had no intention of explaining everything to the boy, just what was absolutely necessary. They also realized that the Daily Prophet will undoubtedly post a story on the student coming to Britain and taking the O.W.Ls. The better he would do, the more publicity he would get. They made a letter carefully writing to invite Ion to meet with the Headmaster. They summoned an owl that was very plain—they did not want to draw too much attention or scare the boy. The attached the letter to the owl's leg and sent it to Ion Winterz. **


	2. Leaving Home

Chapter 2: Leaving "Home"

Chapter 2: Leaving "Home"

"Get up boy!" Vernon Dursley bellowed with a familiar purple face. "Get up or I will send you to the same place as your worthless godfather!"

"Don't you dare call him worthless!" Harry was up out of bed in a fury. "He has done nothing wrong. He deserves respect!"

"Well Sirvious did nothing for me, and I do not have to respect your kind," Vernon said the last word venomously drawn out.

"It is Sirius, you great ape!"

"It does not matter! Now that you are up I must tell you something. We are leaving, well not you, but us. We are going to your Aunt Marge's house; she has a new dog and it has given birth to pups."

"Pups? Since it is her dog, are you sure they aren't little demons?"

A great clapping sound filled the room; Mr. Dursley slapped Harry across the face with severe force, leaving his hand print on Harry's cheek. Vernon continued his conversation as if nothing happened at all. There was no change in his aggressive demeanor except he had the faintest ghost of a smile. "You are not allowed near any of our things. If I find that you have tampered with anything, there aren't enough bandages in the country to help you after the whipping you will receive."

"Yes sir." At this time it was only little more than a week after the end of term. Harry was still very upset about the death of his godfather. Harry blamed himself for the death of so many people, and he added this one to the list. The days back at his uncle's home were very difficult. He stayed in his room for the majority of the day brooding in his bed becoming more aggravated every day he stayed in the house. Nobody sent letters to ask him how he was, or to wish him well. He felt detached from the world that has caused him so much pain and happiness. While in bed, the light that shone in through the window seemed drab, and the nights lost their mysterious allure. Nothing was the same. Even food didn't give him any change in emotion. Harry ate to survive, nothing more.

Harry heard the Dursley's car leave the driveway and roll down the street away from the house. At their departure Harry smiled and wished they would stay out all day, so he could brood and feel miserable alone without any interruptions. Harry couldn't wait for the end of the month to come so his would be another year closer to being able to leave the hell hole he was stuck in. Harry began to fall in a mood that was darker than his room, which had all of the curtains down and lights off. As he began to fall asleep once again a light tapping on the window caught his attention. Harry got up to the window to see an owl attempting to enter is room.

"What the hell?" Harry noticed the school owl right away, in addition to the envelope attached to the leg of the owl. He realized instantly that he received his O.W.L scores, his school supply list, and probably his class schedule. The schedules were chosen for them based on career path's they wished to pursue. His mood quickly brightened as he removed the envelope—he was happy to be in contact with anything from the wizarding world. But quickly anxiety hit him very hard at the realization that he just received his scores. He first opened his supply list and found that nothing had changed from the previous years' except the names of the books. He had to get a new book for Defense against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, Potions, Care of Magical Creatures, and Charms. He continued reading the list of supplies and recommended potion ingredients and supplies to be bought. Something didn't seem right to Harry as he read through the list.

"WOAH! I got into N.E.W.T potions!" Harry literally jumped for joy at realizing it. 'I have been reading it for so long and I didn't realize it. Ha! I must be pretty thick,' he thought to himself. He also thought about how Snape would feel about Harry calling himself thick. A picture of Professor Snape jumping with glee entered his head. 'What a git.'

Harry opened the class schedule and found a very simple layout. He thought that it seemed much neater compared to his first year schedule. 'That will be easy to remember.' He opened his letter that contained his scare with much less anxiety. He opened the score sheet and began to analyze it.

O.W.L Results

Mr. Harry James Potter

Astronomy: Acceptable

Care of Magical Creatures: Exceeds Expectations

Charms: Outstanding

Defense Against the Dark Arts: Outstanding

Divination: Dreadful

Herbology: Exceeds Expectations

History of Magic: Troll

Potions: Outstanding

Transfiguration: Exceeds Expectations

As he read the results a smile crossed his face, by the time he finished he was absolutely beaming. 'So… I am not hopeless in potions!' I cannot wait to see Snape's face when I take a seat right in front of his desk next term.' At that, his smile waned very rapidly because he began to feel the hate for Snape once again. He blamed Snape for Sirius's death almost as much as he did himself. Another year with a man Harry truly detested did not seem too pleasing. Harry grabbed Hedwig's cage and placed it on his desk. Harry planned to send letter to both Ron and Hermione. After grabbing a quill and parchment he sat at his desk and placed the writing utensils near Hedwig's cage. He sat back in his chair to carefully think of what he would write. After a few minutes of deep pondering he began to write very quickly.

_To Ron,_

_Ron, how are you? I have just received my letters from school. I received 7 O.W.Ls; I failed History of Magic and Divination, but it wasn't a big surprise to me. Oh, it seems I'm probably going to be an auror because I got an 'O' on my Potions O.W.L!! Okay back to other things. I really do not want to stay here anymore. I feel like life is becoming meaningless and much more pain than pleasure. Ron, I am not well here; I have been feeling worse every day. Please tell your mom how I feel and ask her to request I be moved. Please, if you talk to Dumbledore, relay my feeling to him directly. I don't mean to be a pain, but I need my friends, this is a very rough time for me. _

_In addition, I would like to know any events that have occurred that I should know of. I would like to hear about anything interesting or any news you have that could hold me through this miserable time here and Ron, thanks. You are like a brother to me and I know you will try your absolute best to get me out of here. _

_ Your Friend,_

_ Harry J. Potter_

_To Hermione,_

_I am proud to say that I have fulfilled all the requirements of a would-be auror! I received 7 O.W.Ls and I succeeded in stealing an Outstanding in Potions. I bet you would like to see Snape's face when he sees me there too. Do not bother replying with your O.W.L scores because I'm sure it will put mine to shame, so at least let me have some time to bask in my glory. More seriously, Hermione how are you doing lately? I know it has not been that long, but so many things have happened and I am worried that you may not be as well as you should. Personally, I am in a very pathetic condition—I virtually lost my will to live. Things seem so dull and painful here. I need to get out of here and face Sirius' death head on. _

_I am looking very forward to seeing you again. Just being around you and the others will make me feel ready to stand up against the world. I asked Ron this too; could you try to ask around and push the idea of getting me out of here? I also would love to be informed of any odd events or interesting news. I am REALLY looking forward to seeing you again, talk to you soon. _

_ With love,_

_ Harry_

After a while of writing Harry felt slightly better at the thought of seeing reply letters from his friends. He looked at his supply list and had a wonderful idea. 'I should go shopping for myself this term; I hate people doing it for me.' Harry decided to leave immediately to London and from there Diagon Ally.

'Where am I going to go? Will I be okay? YES! I will. I refuse to be a product of this screwed up system.' Ion had been thinking to himself looking out the window to the street. The morning was sunny and warm. The birds seemed to come out and spread their song to everyone who would listen. Ion usually would have enjoyed lying down on a moist patch of grass before most people had woken up; he enjoys the peace and serene beauty. This morning was different in the fact that Ion was being thrown out soon. He was an unprepared bird falling from the nest, thus being forced to fly.

In Ion's eyes, the morning seemed to mock him and his pathetic life. He cursed the beauty and all who enjoyed it. He went through his morning routines of jogging and pushups. He had been doing these exercises in order to become stronger and resist the vicious bullying he had been subject to. After all of his bullies left the orphanage he still continued with the habit because it helped him relieve stress. When Ion finished his morning exercise he returned to take a shower and face the bleak day. He sat on his bed, his hair dripping wet, looking out of the window. He looked out the window because he knew that he would be thrust out there, and he hoped that an answer would come to him. Ion did not know that in a few moments the answer would come in a most unexpected way.

He saw something brown flash by the window and quickly disappear as fast as it came down. He moved closer to the window to investigate the odd occurrence. He opened the window and stuck his head out to get a better view of the area. Without any warning a large brown bird swooped down into the room through the opened window. Ion quickly reacted by first ducking then locating the bird in the room. It stood on his desk completely still waiting for something. The bird had an envelope attached to its leg; the bird raised its leg in the air signaling to the boy that he should take it. Ion walked close to the bird and removed the envelope very gently; he didn't want to upset the large bird.

Once the envelope was removed the bird gracefully flew out of the window. Ion carefully scrutinized the envelope and letter. The text was gold and in a thin and slanted style of writing.

_To be delivered to Ion Winterz_

_To be opened by only Ion Winterz_

_Ion Winterz located: London Orphanage_

_Small Room in the Left Wing_

The envelope was sealed with a wax stamp, which Ion did not recognize. He opened it and removed the letter, it too was written in slanted writing. Only now it was black.

_To Ion Winterz:_

_It has recently been discovered that you should have been admitted to Hogwarts at the age of 11. There was an error that we are currently investigating. We intend to ameliorate our mistake by allowing you to spend the next two years at our school free of charge. The usual school career at Hogwarts is 7 years, but since the error was not your fault we are allowing you to take the last two year courses. We intend to allow you to catch up to most students quickly and effectively, but that must be discussed later on. I have other very important information that needs to be disclosed to you. They concern you as a person, your history, and our school. I will meet you outside the orphanage gates at 11o'clock AM, I will wait 10 minutes. If you do not appear, I will assume that you are not interested. If you need to contact me I have enclosed a special piece of paper that when you write on it I will receive the same message in my office._

_ Hope to talk to you soon, _

_Headmaster Dumbledore_

He found the piece of parchment that was mentioned in the letter, folded it neatly and placed it in his pocket. Ion was extremely surprised because events this serious were unlike anything he had ever been exposed to. He never knew that owls delivered messages or that it was possible for messages to be transferred just by pieces of parchment. Everything seemed very suspicious to Ion, but if he said he wasn't excited at the prospects of the offer, he would be lying. He looked at the time and saw that he had an hour before this mysterious stranger would be meeting him outside only a few meters away from where he stood now.

Ion decided to pass the time until the meeting by doing more exercise. He began to do more intense pushups and pull-ups. He seemed to need this exertion because anxiety and stress was building inside him to dangerous levels. After about 30 minutes of intense exercise he showered once more. Ion dressed again, but more neatly this time. While he prepared for the meeting he made sure that he would avoid all others—he did not wish to talk to anyone at the moment for fear of taking out his emotions on them.

The time had come so slowly it seemed hours had passed. Ion walked out to the rendezvous point 2 minutes early—hoping he could see the person coming. One minute passed and the street seemed oddly deserted. Nobody had entered passed through his street at all. At 11 o'clock Ion's watch beeped because of the turn of the hour. Immediately after the beep he heard a loud crack.

A couple of meters away a tall man stood in oddly colored robes. He had white hair, blue eyes, and half moon glasses. His robes were white with gilded designs running though it in intricate patterns.

The man smiled at Ion, but Ion quickly became very confused and bewildered. He had not seen anyone appear from thin air before, yet a man did just that right in front of his eyes. Ion knew what he saw was real, but just because it was real doesn't mean he understood it.

"Mr. Winterz, I am glad to meet you. We have much to talk about and little time to do it," the old man said with a soft smile on his face. "If you would do me the honors of allowing me to bring you to my school so we may talk safely."

"Ya ya… Yeah I can do that." Ion still was too shocked too think properly, but his shock quickly broke under the pressure of his keen power of observation and curiosity. "Wait, what do you mean safely? What dangers are lurking on these streets?" Ion asked this with a suspicious glance at the old man then quick looks up and down the street.

"I cannot explain at the moment and at this location. If you would agree to go to the school this would all go much smoother." The old wizard looked a little affronted at the question the boy asked. He had asked one of the few questions Dumbledore could not tell the boy at the moment. "Grab my arm tightly, and do not let go until I tell you to." The boy did as he was told and without warning the two had disappeared from the street. The only sign of their departure was the loud crack that emanated from where they stood.

The two landed on a soft patch of grass. Ion had never felt that tube-like sensation ever in his life, and he could not understand anything that was going on anymore. The area around them was nothing like the city they just stood in seconds ago. There was a large castle seemingly 200 meters away from where they stood. A path of gravel wound up the small hill to the main doors of the castle. Around the castle there were mostly grasslands. On one side of the castle a large stadium type construction stood tall. Ion had no idea what it was. Spaced a fair distance away from the construction, a seemingly infinite wall of trees ominously stood tall and strong. On the other side of the castle, also a significant distance from it was a large lake. The lake seemed to continue on into the horizon. Ion stood stock still drinking in the daunting beauty that lay before him. In the distance he saw the large wall of trees merge with the lake, behind the castle. The trees surrounded the entire grounds, but they all stood distant from the castle.

"The castle was built on the edge of the forest. That lake expands deep into the forest. Well, that is Hogwarts Castle. Shall we venture further?" The old wizard began walking not waiting for the dark-haired boy to answer. Ion saw the man moving and instantly began following him up the path. The path didn't take too long to trek because within a short while they were at the doors of the great castle.

"This entire place is a school? What is taught here?"

"That will be discussed once we settle inside the castle." Dumbledore walked closer to the doors and they began to make loud sounds. They were making sounds as if large locks were opening on their own accord. After the short song of grinding metal, the doors opened enough to allow the two men inside. They entered a large lobby type area that had many portraits on the walls. Ion noticed that all of the pictures in the frames were moving and talking. At that moment he knew that he would never forget this day as long as he lived. He had the extreme urge to run, ask questions, understand everything all at the same instance, but he chose to keep his stone-like composure as the man led the boy deeper into the castle. He wanted to hear what the old man had to say before moving onto his own agenda.

Albus began to walk up a flight of stairs that seemed to extend several floors up. They walked up several staircases until they reached, by Ion's count, the 7th floor. Dumbledore moved swiftly down a corridor made a turn and moved down another corridor. Ion walked behind him a few feet away, but at the same pace. They continued down the hall until they reached a statue of a stone gargoyle.

"Chocolate Frogs," the white-hair wizard said looking at the boy with an odd smile. Dumbledore knew that this boy was going through a very odd experience. Most people would have reacted very severely by now, especially the way he was showing unbelievable things to the boy. He was not buffering things to protect the boy. There wasn't enough time to waste. Albus was uncertain on what exactly was going in the boy's mind. He seemed too calm and collected for Dumbledore's comfort. The boy seemed to be waiting for all the facts and the proper moment to react. The boy was now showing zero emotion even as the stone statue jumped aside to reveal a staircase that began spiraling up. The Headmaster was now impressed at the boy's ability to keep calm, yet the feeling was mixed in apprehension because this type of strength is sometimes difficult to handle. The old man could not take it anymore, "You are very calm, has nothing surprised you?' he said while they stepped onto the staircase that was moving upwards.

"Everything has surprised me; I do not understand anything that is going on right now. This is a new situation for me, so becoming overly excited or scared will just make things complicated for both of us. I much rather prefer to receive all of the facts smoothly instead of losing my cool and running away. Don't you agree?"

"Yes" the old man looked at the boy with a small smile. The younger boy returned the same small fake smile. "This is my office," the Headmaster said as they reached a set of large wooden doors. The doors opened to reveal the man's office. It was a large room with many tables and cabinets. The tables and cabinets seemed to be full of objects that all looked very strange. At the end of the room, a large desk with a large chair stood alone. Around the desk portraits of other old wizards were talking and moving at their own will. "I think it would be appropriate that we begin immediately. Time is of the essence. "

After sending the letters, Harry got dressed rather quickly and headed towards the door. Outside he saw a world bright, warm, and completely peaceful. He moved down the street and noticed something move to his very far right. He didn't let this bother him, so he continued on his way to London. He finally decided on taking the Knight Bus to bring him to the Leaky Cauldron. The ride was relatively uneventful, and he quickly was dropped off in front of the popular inn. He walked through not looking at anyone. The last thing he need was more unwanted attention. He entered Diagon Alley and began shopping. He followed the list completely and got everything that would be required. He also stopped by many other unnecessary stores to just look at possible things to buy. Soon his bag of galleons was empty and he made an additional trip to Gringotts. The day was uneventful, not counting the many stares and whispers behind his back.

He returned home later that afternoon, and no sooner than a minute after entering his room two owls entered through his open window. He recognized one of the owls as Pig, Ron's owl. He took the letters and gave the birds treats before they left. The one letter that was from Pig was written by Ginny, while the other owl had two letters. They were from Ron and Hermione. He opened and scanned Ron's letter first.

_Harry:_

_I am happy about your O.W.L scores! I got 8 O.W.Ls I flunked Divination, but passed History of Magic with an Acceptable. I have been preparing for quidditch so I am doing well it has been good to keep my mind of other more depressing events. _

_I understand how you feel, and I have demanded from everyone of any authority around here that they take you away from there. Nobody seemed to listen to me they say, 'We know what is best.' _

_I am afraid they have no idea what is best for anyone but themselves. My mother is very upset about the way you feel and is going to yell at Dumbledore. Poor Bloke. I have not seen Dumbledore for more than a few moments recently. I am currently at Grimauld Place. Hermione will be coming here within the next few minutes. Nothing much has been going on for the most part. The Order has been calm up until yesterday. There was a big commotion. Dumbledore called an emergency meeting for all members, but the odd part was after the main meeting he kicked most members out and had a smaller even more secret meeting. HE personally cast the privacy charms. Another thing that was odd is mom told me that Dumbledore might have a very important job for me and I should behave so not to ruin anything. _

_As for getting you out, I will talk to Dumbledore or send him a letter. I hope you don't mind if I make you seem much more desperate than you really are. If he doesn't budge I will personally fetch you myself. I could convince Fred and George to help—they can apperate you know. I WILL see you soon bro, one way or another._

_ Your Friend,_

_RON_

Harry read the letter and felt a small amount of dread at the fact that nobody would be coming soon, but he felt glad that Ron would continue trying. He put down this letter and moved to the next letter, which was from Hermione.

_Dear Harry,_

_I really miss you too. I feel so bad that I can't be there to help you though this time. I could have been a great help. I cannot understand how bad you must feel, so I want to get you out of there as soon as possible. I will write to Dumbledore right now. _

_I am doing somewhat well. I have been worrying about you most of this time. Sorry I didn't write sooner. I really meant to, but I couldn't get an owl. Hedwig left before I could even get a quill out. I don't know of any news either, I just arrived at Grimauld Place. I have not even removed my coat yet. _

_I will work to get you over here to me as soon as possible. I will see you soon. _

_P.S: I didn't really write much here because I am going to talk to you in person very soon I promise._

_ Love,_

_Hermione_

"Love?" Harry felt the letter was written differently than others. It made him feel very warm inside. He did not dwell on it and moved onto the letter from Ginny.

_Harry, _

_Ron told my mom how you felt and she is very worried. DO NOT DO ANYHTING STUPID! If you get hurt I will not hesitate to KILL YOU! Sorry to be a nag, but I am worried about you. That is not the only reason I wrote you. The days have been very calm around here. Ron left to Grimauld Place recently and the rest of the family is going there very soon. But, the calmness broke not too long ago when my mother and I were woken up by Dumbledore. He called through the Floo Network. He thought that Mom and Dad were the only ones home. I only overheard something about Voldemort and a powerful charm. They said that he has been underestimated and the situation has changed. _

_He told my mother to set up and spread the word of an emergency meeting. This owl is pretty slow so I suppose it took a while for this to get to you, sorry for the delay. I almost forgot! They mentioned something about dangerous training, but your name was not motioned at all. I don't think they were referring to you at all. There seems to be someone else that needs training and it is very important. I got to go before my mom sees me. It is very late and I just overheard them. _

_ Ginny_

To Harry's surprise her note had much more information than his other two friends'. He placed the letters on his desk and moved to sit on his bed. The day was still not too late and the sun would be setting in a few hours, but Harry felt dreadful again. He moved to his desk picked up Hermione's letter and reread it on his bed. He soon fell asleep with it in his hands.

Professor McGonagall had been summoned to the Headmaster's office as soon as they arrived. She walked into the room to see the two men sitting across from each other. "Thank you for joining us Minerva." Dumbledore introduced the boy to the professor. "Now on to the important matters." Dumbledore looked into the boy's eyes as he said, "You are a wizard similar to me." The boy's eyes changed very suddenly first they were wide, then instantly back to their calm state.

"Explain," the boy demanded subtly.

"You posses the power to perform magic. Didn't you find it odd that we could teleport here?" A soothing smile played on Dumbledore's face.

"Yes I wondered, but magic? I think I need a little more proof before I begin to laugh hysterically at you." The boy began to show an uncertain grin on his face. Dumbledore pulled out his wand and turned an extra chair into a small dog. He then turned the dog back into a chair. "What the hell…"

"That was very advance magic but it should have gotten the point across."

"So, you are saying that I could do magic? Things like that? Why haven't I done anything like that previously?"

"Have strange things ever happened to you in your life? Anything that seemed impossible, happen only while you were around?" Dumbledore still had his calm face pointed at the boy.

"No, not that I remember."The boy seemed to begin to move into very deep thought.

"It usually happens at great time of emotional stress. Are you sure nothing like that has ever happened to you?" The old man seemed to lose his smile and stared intently at the now furiously thinking boy.

"It can't be… I did not know that would happen! I didn't mean to do it!"The boy stood up and yelled at the room. He seemed to be slightly frantic.

"What do you mean?" Dumbledore looked very concerned now. The boy seemed to finally lose his control and finally release a bit of emotion.

"Are you okay, Ion?" the old witch had moved to his side. He did not look well at all. He fell to his knees and passed out. Professor McGonagall pulled out her wand and gave it a flick. The boy's body jumped off the ground into the chair. "Well Albus nice job! I told you, he needed a slower more gentle approach. He is still a BOY!"

"His strength up to now has been extremely remarkable, but it seems I triggered some type of emotion or memory. I do not think that his reaction has anything to do with magic. He reacted like that after he accepted he could do it." Dumbledore stared at the unconscious boy in the chair. "Wake him up."

"Albus! He needs rest."

"But we do not have enough time at the moment. Please Minerva, wake him up." She shook the boy that was by her side gently. She seemed to be too gentle and soothing when compared to her strict appearance. Ion opened his eyes and took in the room once again.

He straightened his head up and reformed the cold expression he had worn before. "What happened? Did I pass out?"

"Yes you did, but do not worry about that." Professor McGonagall said still acting uncharacteristically gentle.

"I am sorry, but I just realized something that shocked me pretty badly." Dumbledore looked at the young man with eyes that said, "explain"

"I killed two people, my father, and another student at the orphanage. It happened so long ago, and I had no idea it was me."

"Don't be afraid to let it out. We are not here to cause you any harm," the old man said with a clear stern voice.

"My father killed my mother in front of me. I blacked out and the next thing I know he is a pile of ashes. I never thought I could have been the cause. I thought he deserved his fate, but didn't suspect myself. The other boy attempted to kill me when I was about 8. He didn't mean to try, only to torture me and call my family names. He died in his sleep. I remembered having a dream where he just dropped dead and I stood over his body. I didn't expect it to be me because the door to my room was locked at the time."

The two older people in the room looked at each other nervously. They had not expected his attitude in the deaths. Ion was not sorry about the death, just surprised. He didn't seem to regret it at all, but rather he seemed relieved that the mysteries were solved.

"We do not think you should tell many people of those events. Most people would not appreciate such accounts." The old man looked friendly while giving the advice. "We would like for to join us here at Hogwarts. The only problem is you have no knowledge of any magic. You would have to be trained over the summer to be caught up. We will place you in the 6th year which is one year behind where you would have normally bee--."

"Wait—"Ion cut the Headmaster off. "What kind of mistake was it that caused this? I do not want to sound presumptuous, but with all this magic I do not think this was an accident."Ion stared at the Headmaster with unflinching eyes.

Professor McGonagall heard the question and looked incredibly shocked. She had not expected the question to come from the boy who had just passed out on the floor. Looking as if in extreme thought, Dumbledore released all friendliness in his face and stared at the boy. The boy looked back without emotion.

After carefully considering the consequences of his choices Dumbledore began to speak, in order to finish before he began to regret his choice. "Ion, you are the son of the most powerful dark wizard in history. His name is Lord Voldemort, and he cast the charm that protected you from magical detection. We do not know why or what exact charm he cast, but we do know it was powerful. He did not want you to be found by anyone from the Ministry." Dumbledore did not even look at the boy anymore.

"I personally believe that he would have release the charms earlier, but he had been vanquished. He returned almost a year ago with the help of a loyal servant. I doubt he had the time to retrieve you since that time because he has been focused on gaining power again. That is why today has been rushed so severely. I needed you to be in the walls of the school before you were at risk of harm from Voldemort."

"If he is my father… why would he hurt me?" The boy dropped all false stone like expression and seemed genuinely scared.

"I do not know if he would outright kill you, but he may wish to recruit you to his army. If you refuse he may see it as an insult and kill you or worse torture you. "Dumbledore looked quite sad at the boy's situation. "That man has done the most horrible crimes in history, and he is back to do it all again. We do not expect that you will join him. You are not corrupt by evil and power. We offer you all the protection that we can give in hopes that you would stay away from his side. If you wish to join his side that is not our business, but it is our responsibility to give an education and protection to all of our students."

"Why would you want to protect me? I killed those people."

"You should not be accountable for you actions. You were in a situation where nobody could have imagined the power you had. You never had a chance to learn to control your power. Everyone wants to commit murder at some point, but it is the circumstance of how we decide that decides if we are murderers." Ion seemed relieved by the man's words. He smiled up at the man and truly looked appreciative at what the man was telling him.

"Thank you for telling me this. I would not have liked being left in the dark about such things." His small smile broadened slightly.

"Ion, I have not told you everything of the circumstances. I have only told you what you rightfully should know. There are other things that I cannot tell you at the moment because they don't concern you enough. Please forgive me if there is a point here I can no answer your questions."

"I understand, as long as I am told what I need to know, I will be okay." The boy gave another small smile at Dumbledore and then turned to smile at the old witch. She had been kind to him in this incredibly traumatic experience. "I do not wish to sound overly suspicious, but how am I going to learn five years worth of material in one summer?" At this McGonagall gave a loud cough. She had been silent for most of the conversation, even when they repeatedly said 'Voldemort.' Professor McGonagall was always protective of her students and this boy was now her student. She did not like the idea that he would be going through such an incredibly demanding and dangerous course. The boy was of age, but she knew that wizards rarely ever ceased being children. He still needed the protection of someone that had his best interest at heart.

"Well there are tools that we can use that will insert the information of the books into your memory. This is not a super efficient process. Your power of memory still determines how effective it really works. If you have a naturally powerful memory you will do well. This will be very difficult and dangerous. The rates at which we use the tools are going to be somewhat rapid. This causes a very real danger of dealing damage to your brain. The damage can be severe or mild depending on the situation. That is why you must follow the directions and give it your absolutely full attention." Dumbledore then told Ion about how he would be taking the O.W.Ls very soon to decide what classes he would take this term.

"Another thing Ion, both Minerva and I will be teaching you. There will be another teacher that you may meet soon. It would be best if you did not spread around the information that we told you. If you must tell anyone, then do not hesitate, but only if you MUST." Dumbledore looked very severe while saying the last sentence. It definitely made Ion feel he wouldn't tell anyone unless he had to. "Now Ion, I must be going. I have business to attend to. I am currently working on a background story to tell to the ministry. Do not worry, you do not have to lie to any friends you may find at Hogwarts. This is a precaution against the Ministry using you as a tool to fight Voldemort." Dumbledore stood up and shook Ion's hand. "Professor McGonagall will talk to you a little while longer. She would like to explain the basics of being a wizard to you. And, Ion you will be staying in the guest room until the start of term. Minerva will explain everything about Houses in your chat." Dumbledore wrote something on a piece of parchment and left in a very quick stride.

McGonagall showed him to where he would be staying within the castle. It was a large room on one of the upper floors. She then took him to a very large hall filled with five large tables. She told him that the room was called the Great Hall and it is where meals would be eaten by all students and staff. They sat at the only table that was not parallel with the others. She then told him about wands, some current events, the Ministry of Magic, laws, and Quidditch. Ion did not like the sound of Quidditch or flying brooms. She continued her lecture on the classes he was going to be rushed through and how they usually take very a whole term to master and he would have to work incredibly hard. When he asked if the summer was still enough time she said, "No." She then explained to him that he would be using a Time-turner—a magic device that had the power to go back in time. She explained that it did have limitations on its uses. It was dangerous if one tried to alter the past drastically. She said that he would be using it primarily to sleep and study. They did not wish for him to interact with anyone during his time traveling. She said, gaining her typical austere demeanor that if he tampered with time in ways they did not recommend chances or he was going to die. "The time and space fabric will just send you into oblivion," she said as a reply to his shocked eyes.

The time-turners were built for one to gain more time in a day. They usually took a heavy cost the user's body and mind. They were not meant to be used when contact with other people would be altered. That type of abuse could create a butterfly effect that could cause many problems in the time lines. She also explained that practically nobody had time-turners because the Ministry must approve anyone who uses them. She then explained that he would be using an illegal one because they had no other choice. The limits of the time-turner usually prevented anyone from causing too much damage to the fabric of time. No time-turner existed that could go back for more than 24 hours, yet those were even dangerous.

After her lengthy warning about the uses and misuses of time turners she turned her lecture to the Hogwarts' Houses. She described that people must be sorted into houses, and that he would be sorted at the start of term. She gave brief descriptions of each house and founder. After what seemed like hours of friendly talking, the old witch showed him to his room again and left him for the night. He lay on his bed, which was extremely comfortable, closed his eyes and hoped today's experience was not a dream.

The sky commenced to turn darker as the sun began to set, and while in his room, Harry slept. Jumping out of bed and grabbing his wand, Harry woke up to a banging on his closed window.

A large dark red owl tapped on the window with impressive force. The owl had been trying to get Harry's attention for over 5 minutes already. Harry removed the letter and the bird flew away in a huff. Unrolling the parchment Harry read Dumbledore's short letter.

_Harry,_

_Because of the many requests and demands I have received I am picking you up and bring you to Grimauld Place. There are some things we need to discuss concerning the build too. I will be at your door one hour after sundown; please pack all your things for school, you will not be returning. _

_P.S. Molly Weasley is very persuasive when she wants to be…_

_ Albus Dumbledore_

Harry read the note and with the speed of a true seeker he packed in a flash. In what felt like an eternity Harry waited outside the home for Dumbledore to retrieve him. When Dumbledore arrived, Harry grabbed his arm and they both Apperated to Grimauld Place.


	3. Prepare the Unprepared

Chapter Three: Prepare the Unprepared

"Harry, there are a few things we must speak about before we enter." The two wizards stood outside the building looking at each other's figure in the night. Harry was anxious to enter the building and see his friends, but he acquiesced to Dumbledore's request. Harry stood waiting a few seconds before the old man began to talk.

"With the death of your godfather, things have become more complicated. Harry, you have inherited everything that was his. That means you now own Grimauld Place, his fortune, and all of his possessions. Before he died he filled out his will that made you his sole beneficiary." Dumbledore stared at the young man, letting the information sink in.

"That's great," Harry said very unenthusiastically.

"Is there a problem, Harry?"

"I just don't really want it all, I prefer him. I am not complaining because I know nothing can bring him back. But, it is still very hard for me to think about these things."

"Yes Harry, I understand. I did not wish to bring you back so soon for fear of bringing back more memories, but many people have made me aware that either way you are going to hurt. Painfully aware," Dumbledore said with a small smile.

"Mrs. Weasley right?"

"Yes, I do respect all of the Weasley men much more." Harry laughed at Dumbledore's very serious comment about the redheaded men. "I have something else I wish to speak about. There is a student with very unusual circumstances that is in need of some assistance. The others know that I need their assistance soon, but I will let you be the messenger of the full detail. I need you and the others to go to Diagon Alley with a boy named Ion. He does not know much about anything magical, so if you would show him as much as possible it would be greatly appreciated. I will have Tonks escort you all. The boy is about your age, and I implore you to enforce some control over your friends. They cannot pressure him into explaining anything that he does now willingly explain. I am choosing you and the rest for this task because I don't believe Tonks or I can level with him on a friendly level. With us it would be too formal. He needs people to relax around that are his age. Harry, I do not want you to be forced to like him. I am just asking you to give him a chance to be himself. I do believe it will help you forget about other more unpleasant things, while you are in the presence of someone who is discovering our world. Will you do me this favor, Harry?"

"Sure I will. We all owe you, and I am sure they will be happy to help another student. When will we leave?" Harry said slightly enthusiastic.

"I would expect her a few hours after breakfast. When she arrives you should all begin to get ready to depart. From here she will bring you to Hogwarts to pick up Ion," he said simply.

"Okay, I will tell the others. Goodnight professor," Harry said much more cheerful than moments before.

Harry entered the front gates with a little awe because he owned the entire home. He knocked on the door with the knocker heavily. He heard footsteps that were making their way to the door at a brisk pace. Within a moment of the door being opened, Mrs. Weasley had Harry in a suffocating hug. "Oh dear, you are just in time for dinner. The others are upstairs in their rooms. You should go up there to see them before dinner starts. While you are up there, tell them dinner will be served in one hour," Mrs. Weasley said softly. "Are you okay?" she said even more gently. "I told Dumbledore to bring you here so maybe you would feel better."

"I am okay right now. Thank you very much, Mrs. Weasley," Harry said while uncharacteristically hugging her. Harry walked through the house quietly because if he walked with any loud noise a random picture could start screaming. In this old home one could never be sure about what lurked around the corner, in a portrait, or in a drawer. He passed the portrait of Sirius' mother and walked up the stairs toward the room in which Ron, Hermione, and Ginny were staying. He reached the first door that held Hermione and Ginny and tapped on the door softly. The door swung open immediately, and Harry jumped back so hard he rammed into the wall behind him. He hit a portrait on the wall behind him with his head, which caused him to fall to the floor.

"Now that's a greeting to remember," Harry said on the floor amused but still holding his head.

"Harry! I was so worried about you; I thought you would be hurting all summer at your uncle's house," the vibrantly redheaded Ginny said.

"Hello Ginny. My head is just fine; it's only a cracked skull," he said with a pained smile.

"Oh! Are you okay?" She held her hand out to help him up off of the floor and dusted his back off. She then smiled and lunged at Harry and forced him into a powerful hug. She hugged him so hard Harry was reminded of her mother's rib-breaking hugs. Harry hugged her back, very happy to her once again. Releasing the hug after a few moments, she said, "Well let's bring you stuff to your room." They brought Harry's trunk up the room he would be staying in. Harry was planned to stay in a small room with Ron, but Harry did not like that idea anymore.

"Ginny I am going to sleep in Sirius' master bedroom. He gave me everything he owned, and it would be disrespectful if I didn't use it." Harry walked toward the larger room and put his trunk in it. The room was not too far from the others, but it was much more private. The room was very fancy, yet it was not overly ornamented. Harry did not pack his things because he would bring the same things with him to Hogwarts. While he drank in his room and settled himself into the room, Ginny sat on his bed staring from Harry to the various objects in the room.

"There are going to kill me! They will be so mad at me because I didn't tell them you were here," Ginny shrieked. She got up and ran out of the room. A moment later, footsteps flooded the hallway.

"HARRY! You're here!" said Hermione. She ran and gave him a tight hug.

"Thank Merlin! You are here finally," Ron said exasperatedly. Harry looked at Ron oddly after the strange greeting.

"I forgot, dinner will be ready soon," Harry said loudly over the chatting of the others. The girls left saying they had to get ready for dinner.

"Get ready for dinner?" Harry asked Ron.

"Yea there will be a few people here tonight." Ron then gave Harry a lightning fast hug.

"Ron, I am touched… literally," Harry said laughing lightly.

"Don't take it personally. They have not shut up about you since we left school. You would think that they haven't seen you in years. So I am extremely glad you are here."

"Why would they talk about me so much?" Ron looked at him incredulously.

"Are you that dim?" Ron said with a smile. Before Ron could elaborate, Mrs. Weasley called for them. They practically ran down the stairs for dinner because they were so hungry. They sat at the table and within a few minute many people started to enter. Many members of the Order were to have dinner there. The members that arrived were Tonks, Moody, Lupin, and a few others that Harry did not know. Tonks sat next to the group of students, while the other Order members sat further down the table.

"Hello Tonks," Harry said as she sat down. She looked slightly disturbed while she sat in the chair.

"Hey Harry," she said exasperatedly.

"What's wrong with you?" Ron asked. She looked at Ron then Harry.

"Did you ask them yet?"

"Not yet." Harry flushed slightly because he completely forgot—he was too hungry to think about anything else but food. "I will tell them now." Harry continued to tell the others about their small mission the next day. He told them that they couldn't pressure him about anything. "Do not act too forced either. I don't want him to think we are faking anything. We need to give him a chance."

"What House is he in?" Ron asked curiously. Harry looked taken aback a second.

"I don't know."

"He isn't in one yet," Tonks said simply. Harry then explained what they would be doing in Diagon Ally, and advice they should be giving him.

"Okay, so what's wrong Tonks?" Ron asked after Harry's explanation

"That great git Moody," she whispered. "He is going security crazy for tomorrow. I had a two hour lecture about what I must do tomorrow. They are going to have so many guards around the area it is ridiculous. I am just tired."

"Why so much security?" Hermione asked. The others looked at her questioningly. Tonks looked at the others intensely, thinking about what to say.

"I cannot answer that. What I do know, I cannot tell you. Only the boy can tell you all. Only Ion, Dumbledore, and McGonagall know everything. I assume it has something to do with Harry too."

"McGonagall?" Harry asked incredulously. "I would think Mad-Eye would know before her."

"Me too, Harry. But, this is the way it happened." Tonks tried to smile, but she was just too tired.

"How are things with our good friend Voldy?" Ron asked Tonks quietly. She looked around quickly and leaned closer to the others.

"He is just dandy. The Death Eaters have become so strong. Voldemort has focused on gaining followers and power. He has been recruiting outside Britain. It has become a great concern of the Ministry because Voldemort may be too strong to stop soon." She looked a little fearful. "An odd thing is he has not ordered any Ministry attacks. He doesn't seem to be a problem to us at the moment. This causes everyone at the Ministry to be terrified. Nobody knows when an attack is coming, and the longer it doesn't occur the worse it will be when it does." The others looked very shocked at this news.

"Were you allowed to tell us that?" asked Hermione.

"Yes, it was not a secret, but don't expect the Prophet to report that."

"It doesn't make any sense," Harry said. Tonks grinned. "Why is there so much security tomorrow, if Voldemort is not aggressively ordering attacks?"

"Harry, if you don't become an Auror, I will personally hex you into oblivion." Tonks seemed to be slightly more cheerful. "I am impressed at you observation, but I cannot tell you anything, sorry." After they finished eating Tonks left, and the group walked to Harry's room. They talked for a while about a variety of subjects, which included: Quidditch, O.W.Ls, classes, and the trip tomorrow. Harry walked the others to bed and hugged the girls before they went to sleep. Harry then returned to his bed and fell asleep incredibly quickly.

Ion lay asleep comfortably in his bed until a soft tug on his shoulder awoken him. Next to the bed he saw a small creature with floppy ears looking at him with big green eyes. "You must wake up, young sir," Dobby said in his squeaky voice. "It is almost time for you to go."

"Who or what are you?"

"I is Dobby! I is a free House-elf."

"Good morning, Dobby. What is going on?" Ion said groggily.

"Dumbledore ordered Dobby to escort you out of the castle on time. You are going to Diagon Ally to get supplies for your classes. You will be picked up in a hour, so you must get ready."

"Okay Dobby, I will take a quick shower and eat breakfast quickly." Ion got out of bed and headed for the showers. Ion showered extremely quickly and returned to his room. At a table in the room he saw a golden plate. When he touched the plate a large breakfast appeared in it. After deciding the food was safe to eat, Ion ate the food and got dressed. He opened his room's door and he heard a loud crack. Dobby appeared right in front of him with a small pouch.

Dobby held the pouch out for Ion to take it, which he did. He looked inside and saw a large amount of gold coins. Dobby told him that the money came from Dumbledore, and he should not feel bad about taking it. Ion accepted the pouch and put it in his pocket. Dobby told Ion that the pouch was magical, so it could hold much more than the actual size. Ion noticed that there were just too many coins in the pouch for its size, so he was relieved to understand that anomaly.

Dobby dragged Ion through many corridors until they were at the main doors. They opened the large doors and stepped outside. They walked down to the front gates and waited outside the gates. "They will pick you up here, sir. I must go finish my work, goodbye." With a loud crack, Dobby disappeared. Ion did not have to wait very long before a small group of people appeared in front of him. There was a tall boy with red hair, a boy slightly shorter with black hair, a shorter girl with red hair, a fairly tall girl with bushy brown hair, and an older girl with pink hair.

"Uhh… Hi," Ion said uncomfortably. "Dumbledore send you all here?" Ion looked at the group of teenagers that were near his age, and the older girl.

"Yes, these are all students, and I am an Auror." Everyone then introduced themselves to Ion politely, and then Tonks told them they must be leaving. "We will be using a Portkey to go to Diagon Alley. Some of the other will be shopping too; do you have your list?"

Quickly Ion opened the pouch and pulled out a small piece of parchment. "Yes I do," he said relieved that the paper was what he was looking for. "What is a Portkey?" The other explained quickly and he understood what would be happening. Tonks pulled out a can and everyone touched it. She pulled out her wand and touched the can; they felt the familiar hook around their navel and then they landed. They landed in the middle of an alley lined with many stores.

"Where do we go first?" Ginny asked the group.

"How about getting Ion a wand?" Hermione asked excitedly. Everyone agreed and they headed in the direction of Olivander's Wand Shop. When they arrived in front they were shocked to see what was there. The entire store was boarded up with no sign of Olivander. "What happened to the shop," Hermione asked.

"I have heard Olivander was missing, but I didn't expect the store to be closed," Tonks said confused. "If we don't find another wand today you can borrow one from Hogwarts—they have plenty extra. The only problem is they may not work as well as your own wand."

"I do not understand," Ion said. The others went into detail about wand lore. They explained that ownership of a wand is important in performance. They told him about the cores and their properties. Harry told him about brother cores and their reactions. Ion understood rather quickly and they moved on. They decided to get Ion's robes first.

The group walked towards Madam Malkin's Robe Shop. Inside Ion was measured quickly and he bought a number of black robes. After a suggestion form Hermione, he also bought a set of dress robes.

"Where to now," Harry asked the others.

"How about potions supplies?" Ion asked casually. Ion became very comfortable around the other rather quickly. He couldn't find anything wrong with any of them except Ron. Ion thought Ron was too tactless and rude. The others agreed to get potion supplies without hesitation. Ion's list of potion supplies was very long because he had to review many years worth of potions in a short time. After searching the store for all the potions ingredients and supplies, the group decided to get books. Ion was only required to get his years for the term that would begin in September. He had to buy books for all the possible courses he could take because he hadn't taken his O.W.Ls yet. By the time they got the books all awkwardness disappeared and Ion learned a lot about the wizarding world. Ion felt that Ron informed him about Quidditch a little too much.

"Anyone else hungry?" Harry asked. They all answered yes immediately. They decided to go to a random restaurant to eat lunch. Once they sat down they began to talk once again.

"What House do you think you will be sorted into?" Harry asked curiously.

"I have no idea. Honestly, I am hoping Gryffindor because I at least know you all. If I go to any other House I will be so lost again."

"I hope you get into our House too," Ginny said with a nice smile.

"If the hat gives you a choice, pick Gryffindor," Harry said. At Ion's quizzical looks Harry explained the events of his sorting. They all ate their foods and talked about random things. Even Tonks seemed to be cheerful while eating.

"Hey Ion, what is all this? Why are you so shrouded in mystery? So much security and you do not know anything about our world," Ron asked casually.

"Well, Dumbledore told me to choose who I tell because the information is very valuable. I really don't mind telling you all some of the information, but I do not want to be overheard." Tonks then pulled out her wand and muttered something under her breath a few times.

"Nobody can hear anything we say now, if you wish to tell us," Tonks said.

"Ion, if you don't feel comfortable telling us anything don't do it," Harry said sternly.

"I don't mind. Basically, the Ministry's and Dumbledore's magical detection never picked me up. So I was not known to anyone in the magical world until I was finally detected," Ion said briskly.

"Why weren't you picked up on the sensors?" Harry asked genuinely curious.

"That is where I can't tell you anymore, sorry."

"What year are they going to start you off?" Hermione asked.

"Dumbledore says he wants me in sixth year."

"What? How can you possibly have the time to learn all of the material to be prepared for sixth year?" Hermione asked incredulously.

"Well, Dumbledore had planned experimental training to speed the process, and we will be using Time-turners." Hermione's eye widened at this news. She had used Time-turners before and understood the drain they put on one's body. Harry changed the subject quickly and asked if they wished to continue their shopping. They other agreed and quickly left the restaurant. They bought everything on the list that Ion required. Ion had not much gold at all, once all the required items had been purchased.

As they walked along the ally, Ion noticed another ally perpendicular to Diagon Ally. This alley was filled with many stores too, but it looked rundown. "Do you think I can find a wand there?" Ion asked the group of teenagers.

"That is Knockturn Alley. That place specialized in the Dark Arts. It wouldn't be smart for us to be seen there," Tonks said with little more than a whisper.

"So? It is just a bunch of stores, who cares. Let's just take a look around." After saying that confidently, Ion walked into Knockturn Alley. The shops here were smaller and looked shadier. The people that were around in this area were mostly hooded. While the group walked Tonks had her hand on her wand tightly.

"Ion, this place isn't really safe for anyone; I think we should leave soon," Tonks whispered in his ear.

"Okay, can I just look in this store?"

"Hurry up," she whispered in his ear again. Harry and the others weren't as worried as Tonks, and they talked normally. They entered the shop that did not have a sign outside. The shop looked much cleaner than most other shops, with more variety of objects. Ion looked around the walls and saw so many things that intrigued him. There were many pieces of jewelry and watches. The watches looked very strange—some had skulls instead of numbers. The majority of objects had a very dark appeal to them. Ion was caught very strongly by the allure of a specific object.

The object wasa silver, dangerous looking dagger. The handle had a dragon designed embedded within it. At the base of the handle protruded a dragon head baring vicious fangs. The blade was shimmering silver, with a design etched in it. The blade had a razor sharp edge, but with many other blade tendrils. The blade had the appearance of a very sharp and wild flame. Just below the dagger stood a label that wrote, 'Pure Silver Dragon Flame Dagger.'

"That dagger is out of your price range," the hooded shop keeper said. "It has very dangerous properties, which make it incredibly valuable. Its blade is enchanted to poison victim at users will. If the wielder of the blade wishes to poison the victim then they will be poisoned with incredibly lethal venom. If the wielder wishes the wound to stay open then it will stay open. It is pure silver so it makes it very effective against highly magical creatures. The enchantments are very strong, thus it would take an incredible healing spell to heal the wounds it deals. A more important feature is when the user makes a blood pact with the blade, it cannot harm the owner. But, this is not a toy, you would have no use for it, and you would not be able to afford it." The shop keeper looked at the entire group that seemed uncomfortable by his presence, except for the boy who looked at the blade originally.

"I will be the judge of those things. I may be able to afford it sooner or later; hopefully you have it until then. I plan to buy a variety of these objects; they are all very impressive and useful." The shop keeper grinned slightly at Ion's attitude. The boy didn't seem intimidated at all but rather impressed by the power of the objects.

"I will sell you the dagger for slightly less to you, but if someone wishes to purchase it full price I must sell it. I must make a living too, I hope you understand," the hooded man said snakelike. "There is also another item that was forged with this." The man walked over to another shelf and showed Ion a specific glass case. It was a small glass box that contained a ring. The ring was silver with a beautifully jeweled dragon head protruding from it. "This ring endows the wearer with certain enhanced senses. If the wearer wills it, the ring gives increased sight, hearing, smell, and or taste. It was made to give a person the senses of a dragon. The enchantments are incredibly strong and will last indefinitely. This item is also rather... expensive. I must tend to more work at the counter, tread lightly." Ion maintained his icy composure even at the man's odd farewell.

After a brief spell of more scanning of objects, Ion was ready to leave. Tonks had looked very concerned at the talk of Ion and the mysterious shop keeper. She kept very close to Ion, but did not interfere with his viewings. When Ion told her he was ready to go back to Hogwarts she seemed very relieved.

"I will bring you back to Hogwarts, Ion. When you get there report to Dumbledore, and tell him about the wand," Tonks said as she searched for her Portkey. "Let's walk to a more secluded place to use the Portkey." As they walked, the others told Ion about Harry's scar, and his adventures. The trip into the darker shop seemed to remind them of dealings with darker forces. Ion was glad to hear the interesting stories before they departed. But, many things disturbed him, such as his own father being the mastermind behind Harry's difficult life. Ion wondered if they would hate him if they knew his family history. They then took the Portkey, while they stood in a dark corner of Knockturn Ally. After the odd experience of traveling by Portkey, Ion entered the castle. Tonks then dropped the other group off at Grimauld place.

"What did you all think of him?" Tonks asked quietly. The other's thought he was pleasant, and they wouldn't mind spending time with him. Tonks agreed and she left the others in the house. The others talked about the day and the new student as they settled back into the large house.

Meanwhile, Ion was maneuvering through the corridors of the castle very confusedly. He did not know where he was going at first. After going down wrong corridors repeatedly, Ion reached his room. He packed his things then began the journey to find the Headmaster's office. After many wrong turns and complaints from various portraits, Ion reached the gargoyle statue.


	4. The Road to Greatness

Chapter Four: The Road to Greatness

Ion said the password, which caused the statue to jump aside and reveal an upward spiraling staircase. Ion stepped on and eventually entered the doors to the Headmaster's office. The room was filled with the rattling of silver objects as usual and Dumbledore sat in his desk watching Ion get closer. Ion did not bring any of his supplies with him to Dumbledore's office because he did now know what to expect.

"Hello, Professor Dumbledore."

"Hello, Ion. Please sit down." There was a pile of books and supplies on the old man's desk, which Dumbledore made disappear with a tap of his wand. "Those were supplies you will need for the first week of your training. They will be in your room when you get back tonight. We will begin you training right now. Do you have you wand with you?" Dumbledore asked looking at Ion, who didn't look like he had any supplies with him.

"Professor, Olivander went missing, and the shop was closed. Tonks told me you would be able to give me a replacement," Ion said a little uncomfortably. Dumbledore looked a little troubled.

"The shop has closed completely?"

"Yes, it was devoid of any life at all."

"Well, I here is another wand." Dumbledore opened a drawer in his desk and pulled out a generic looking brown wand. "That wand is very plain so it will perform well for anyone, but it will perform great for no one. I will try to locate a wand maker soon to get you a proper wand."

"Thank you, Professor. What will we be doing today?" Ion asked casually. Ion surveyed the room and it was exactly the same as it was on his previous visit. He did not see anything new that may have influence in his lesson.

"I will begin to train you in Occlumency, and typical wand handling. There will be no rapid learning until you become adept at Occlumency. I warn you, Occlumency is difficult and tedious to learn. It is necessary for you to safely use the Pensieve. Basic wand handling could be learned very quickly if you focus well," the old man said emotionless. "This process will get very difficult; you will be spending many hours alone practicing difficult concepts on your own."

"What will the hyper learning be like?"

"That will be a unique experience. You will be interacting for about an hour with a stone basin. After the process, which you will understand when you do it, you will most likely feel very sick. You would be advised to sleep for some time, but do not worry if you follow my directions explicitly, you will be fine. I just hope you don't mind painful headaches every session of rapid learning."

"I will do whatever it takes, but what is Occlumency?"

"It is the skill of protecting one's mind. When you will be subjected to the Pensieve, there may be times when you mind will crumble. This is where injuries can occur. With Occlumency, you can protect any unsafe invasions from the Pensieve." Dumbledore looked very serious at that moment. "The Pensieve is not a miracle. You must understand that it relies heavily on your mental strength. If you have a good memory and focus, you will gain great benefits from the treatment, but if you do not, then your results will be less spectacular. Simply, if you perform well in normal learning situations you will perform well here. It does not have the power to make bad students good. Do you understand?"

"Yes, if I am smart I will get great use from it, but if I am dumb it will not work well." Ion understood the concept, but it inspired fear in him. He thought he was smart, but was he smart by Dumbledore's standards?

"I gave the books that you will be learning in your room, so you may study at night if you did not grasp everything in your sessions. We will begin wand training right now." Dumbledore motioned for Ion to follow him. They walked to an empty spot in the office. Dumbledore took out his wand and said _'Lumos'. _A bright stream of light beamed from the tip of his wand. Dumbledore explained that the spell produced light at the end of the user's wand. The brighter the light, the more focus and power the user must have.

"Ion, I want you to try to cast that spell; it is very easy and shouldn't cause you much difficulty," Dumbledore smiled in order to make Ion feel more confident in his attempt.

_'Lumos.' _A dim light shone from the tip of the wand. Ion was not impressed with the light at all. He quickly discovered how to end the spell—he willed it to end. Without any word from Dumbledore he cast the spell again. The light that shone was not much brighter than previously. "What am I doing wrong?" Ion asked rather annoyed.

"You must focus on the light. Do not let outside pressures influence it; feel the magic inside you and will it to create light. The harder you focus on the light the better your results will be. Try again, and remember to focus on the light," Dumbledore said while putting his hand on the boy's shoulder.

_'Lumos.' _The light was much brighter than previously, which made Dumbledore's expression change to an unidentifiable one. Ion ended the spell after a few moments. He repeated the spell eagerly, trying to increase the amount of light each time. Eventually his wand grew so bright that the room was completely colored with bright white light. "Was that done well?" Ion looked much prouder than after his first attempt.

"Yes, in fact it was amazing." Dumbledore tried to sound enthusiastic, but Ion knew that it was false. Dumbledore was concerned at the boy's speedy improvement. He was glad that Ion had great potential, but he was afraid that the boy would get too great too fast. He did not fully understand magic yet, and he did not have many years to learn to control his magic. Dumbledore thought that the boy might lose control and cause damage.

Dumbledore waved his wand in the air and summoned two very comfortable chairs from across the room. "Sit down, Ion."

"Sir, I am trying my best. I will try harder if it is not good enough," Ion feared that Dumbledore would cancel the training if he did not perform well enough.

"Ion, you are performing incredibly well. I was not teaching you spells just now. I was teaching you to focus on your magic, so your spells would be stronger and easier to cast," Dumbledore said. "I did not expect you to learn to focus so well so quickly. It is skill that is slowly developed from years of magic use. Ion, you are strong. The power of your last spell was difficult for many wizards to perform." Dumbledore looked rather serious. The old man saw Ion's worried expression, and he realized that Ion was still a scared boy. Ion possessed the ability to hide his emotion well, due to years of abuse and threats from life in the orphanage. This made Dumbledore sometimes forget that he was still innocent to the world. When Dumbledore saw Ion's worried expression he changed his tone to be more soothing.

"Ion, you have killed people before. That was not your fault; you had felt incredible emotions that no person should ever feel. There should have been Ministry officials to help you through those situations. But, now you are going to become stronger, so you need to understand the responsibility required. You cannot let your emotions control your magic, unless you wish to do things you will regret. You are going to get strong very fast, and you must understand that your power should not be abused."

"I understand, but isn't everyone going to be as strong as I am?" Ion looked more relieved after Dumbledore's change in tone.

"I do not know how strong you will become, but you have great potential. Anyway, we must continue." Dumbledore waved his wand and the room was completely silent. "We will work on Occlumency now; I made the room silent so your focus will be uninterrupted."

"I know you told me before, but what exactly is Occlumency?" Ion asked sheepishly.

"It is a way to block the weak point of your mind. Your emotions are great holes in your mind. They can be used as bridges from your consciousness to your memories and other mental functions. The stronger your emotions are, the larger the hole. When people get upset, a hole in the metal protections grows larger. This is what causes accidental magic in most cases. Occlumency helps you close the mental holes, and allows you to have better control of your mind."

"Does it prevent me from having emotions?"

"Not at all, it just allows you to control the effect they have on your mind." Dumbledore put his wand away and signaled to Ion for him to do the same. "The most typical way to learn this is by defending invasions. It allows you to understand how your own mind works. I will attempt to break into your mind, and you must defend it."

"How do I defend it?" Ion asked feeling very stupid.

"That depends on you. Everyone goes about it differently because no two minds are identical. My only tip is to control your emotions; try to separate yourself from them. This will close the passages that I will be using, and from there, push me out." With that, Dumbledore moved close to Ion and looked him in the eyes.

Ion felt nothing at first but soon, he felt a strange sensation in his mind. He saw memories flash on his mind's eye and his emotions become activated. He felt angry and sad, but for absolutely no reason. He attempted to clear his mind completely. He focused on the black void in his mind. He tried to focus on nothing but the darkness. The memories became much more hazy, and the emotion much less intense. He tried harder and harder to focus on the darkness, but he kept losing it. He started to focus on his memories as a change in strategy. He focused deeply on controlling his memories. He focused on the memory of the wall in the room. Mentally, he pushed all other memories back into his mind, while trying to suppress his emotions.

Soon resisting became more difficult because Dumbledore was pushing much harder. Ion tired very difficultly to focus on one memory, thus forcing all others to the back of his mind. His emotions became much stronger now, which meant Dumbledore had more access. He tried to release all emotions, by willing himself not to pay them any mind. After another few moments Ion's barriers became useless and Dumbledore broke through completely. Ion felt incredibly emotions surge though him, while many memories flashed in his mind.

"You resisted me very well, Ion. That was an incredible first attempt, but I was not pushing very hard at the beginning. I started to attack more aggressively towards the end. You now have a strategy that works well, I assume. You should now focus on making that method stronger. After a few more attempts you have much greater control over your mind." Dumbledore began another attack on Ion's mind again but with more initial force. Ion performed better than previously, but still was no match at all for the old man's attack. The two went at it for thirty minutes at a time, with fifteen minute breaks. Eventually, Ion developed much better control over his mind, but still was not very strong.

"Ion, tonight your assignment is to meditate for at least twenty four hours. You do not have to do it in one steady stream, but in total. You meditate by separating your mind from your emotions. You also must try to control your emotions more efficiently. This will get you much stronger at defending me very quickly. You also must practice the wand light spell repeatedly; you must try to increase your focus more than already. Just work on the spell and focusing for an additional five hours. One more thing Ion, before you meet me tomorrow morning you must be fully rested; depending on your Occlumency progress we may begin the Pensieve training," Dumbledore said importantly. "I must show you something else, follow me." Dumbledore got out of his chair quickly and left his office. Ion walked a foot behind the old man. They walked for some time until they reached the kitchen area. They passed the kitchen and walked passed a blank wall where Dumbledore stopped. "This is the Room of Requirement; it grants a person in need with a room suited to the person's need.

"Sir, it is just a blank wall."

"You must walk past the wall three times thinking about what you need, and then a door will appear." Dumbledore demonstrated by paces in front of the wall three times. After the third pass a door instantly appeared as if a veil had quickly been lifted. They entered through the door and found the most beautiful bedroom possible. The entire room seemed to be ornamented to be perfect. "I wished for a bed, and it gave me a bed."

"It can give you anything?" Ion asked amazed.

"No, only what the school can provide. The magic of Hogwarts has limits. Now Ion, you may return to you bedroom and begin your work as you wish. Remember the rules of the Time-turner that has been discussed with you. A word of advice Ion, do not use the device unless you have a justifiable reason because it is draining on the body.

"Okay, goodnight Professor." Ion walked away toward his room. It took some time due to Ion's confused path, but he eventually got there. He removed the clothes he had been wearing and substituted it with comfortable pajamas. He felt that if he was going to be working alone for many hours he should be relaxed. Ion also gathered a large roll of parchment and a quill with ink. He picked up the Time-turner and put it in his pocket. He also chose to bring the golden dish with him to the Room of Requirement—he knew he would be getting hungry. Ion retraced his complicated steps to the room. After a labyrinthine walk through the corridors, Ion reached the blank strip of wall. He walked pass the wall three times thinking, 'I need a room that will be good for training and relaxing.' The door appeared after the third pass, as expected.

Relieved, Ion opened the large door. The room completely shocked Ion because it wasn't a room at all or so it seemed. It was a lush green forest. The trees were very tall and full of foliage. A rough path through the trees and bushes lead to an outcrop of large rocks that were slightly mossy. The rocks were perfect for sitting on and relaxing. When Ion reached the top of the rocks he saw a stream running near the rocks, which was slightly over three feet wide. The room was entirely silent except for the stream. Ion could not see the sky, if there was one. The only light that allowed him to see anything came from glowing flowers. They covered many trees and bushes with a variety of colored lights.

Sitting on the rock with his back against the stream, Ion began to mediate. He closed his eyes and attempted to close his mind. He tried to feel the sensations that he felt earlier, and control his emotions and memories. He tried to focus on total blackness and single memories. Ion checked his watch to realize he had been meditating for over nine hours. He had gotten so good at focusing on the single memories and blackness that he lost contact with the physical world while meditating. After that long session of meditation, he decided to eat something so he went to the golden plate and said, "Cold pizza." A few slices of cold pizza appeared on the plate, in addition to a goblet of soda. 'Cool.'

Ion decided to practice the spell again before returning to meditation. But first, he picked up the Time-turner and turned the hour glass over the maximum eight times. Everything around him didn't seem to change at all. The only odd occurrence with the device was immediately after the last twist. Ion seemed to be trapped in a transparent gold cylinder for a few brief seconds. Getting over the shock of time travel rather quickly he resumed his training.

While pulling out his wand, Ion thought to himself, 'I really wish those lights would shut off for a little while.' After a second, the light of the flowers completely faded. Ion stood in complete darkness with his wand in his hand. _'Lumos.' _An extremely bright light came out of the tip of his wand that illuminated everything in sight. After several attempts to make the light brighter, he thought up a new plan of action. He was going to control the amount of light completely. Focusing on enough light to cover only three trees deep into the forest, Ion's wand emitted light that revealed three trees deep into the lush forest. He mastered the practice very quickly; he could control the exact amount of light that the wand would release.

Five hour passed of training with the wand, until he returned to Occlumency meditation. He asked the room to return the lights to the flowers, and it did so. He used the Time-turner to travel back another five hours before starting more training. He sat on the rock closed his eyes and focused for another eight hours. He switched to wand training and followed the same procedure as previously. He used the Time-turner, and turned the lights in the room out. He trained on making the light as bright as he possibly could and then controlling the levels of light precisely.

The five hour session of wand practice passed slowly, but Ion persevered through the tedium. The general trend he used was to travel back the amount of time that he trained. He then felt extremely tired and slept for a full eight hours. He repeated meditation training and moved onto the wand training, using the Time-turner when needed. The wand training session was different that time. He decided that he would try to focus the shape of the light. It was very difficult at first because light could not be bent, but he learned to control how the wand released it. He made the wand release it in a single beam or multiple individual beams. He practiced on making an individual beam as bright as he could. He pointed his wand at a tree, focused the light into a single beam in his mind, and focused the energy behind it. _'Lumos'_ An extremely bright beam of light shot from his wand lighting a tree up extremely bright. He shut the light off and to his surprise saw that there it was lighter in the room. The spot that he pointed the last beam at had caused the tree to smolder slightly. He ran to the stream, grabbed a handful of water, and put it on the tree's wound. The light embers immediately died, and Ion was bathed in complete darkness once again.

Deciding that his training was complete he left the room after turn back time to the point when he started the training. He left the room and walked back to his bed, with everything in his hands. He entered his room, changed, and went to sleep.

With the sunlight hitting him in the face, Ion rose out of bed anxious for the next day. He began his usual routine of light exercise, a shower, breakfast, brushing his teeth, and getting dressed. The day was slightly warm but sunny. He walked to Dumbledore's a little faster than before because he understood the school a little better. After walking to the gargoyle statue, he said the password and stepped onto the spiraling stairs. Through the large doors, Ion met with the old wizard, Dumbledore. The old man wore dark blue robes and seemed to be eager to see Ion.

"Good morning, how was your training?" Dumbledore asked inquisitively.

"It was interesting; that room is really amazing." Ion was impressed with the room's abilities. "I think I may have improved with Occlumency and focus. I meant to ask you about something. One of the illuminating spells caused a tree to burn a little; is that normal?"

"You went into the forest? You must know that it could be extremely dangerous in there. You should not go in there without being prepared for anything. The general rule is that students are not allowed in the forest, but some never listen. So, I will warn you that you could be harmed or worse in there." Dumbledore looked almost too serious for Ion to feel comfortable.

"I didn't go into the forest," Ion said trying to stop Dumbledore from getting angry. "The Room of Requirement took the form of a forest, I think. All I know there was a forest like meadow type place where you showed me."

"It was? What did you think about when you passed the wall?" Dumbledore asked, surprised.

"I thought about needing a place to relax and train. It was perfectly suited for both types of training." Ion said, impressed with the room.

"You burnt a tree with _Lumos_? Dumbledore seemed to have just realized the most surprising news of all.

"Yes, I focused the light into a narrow beam and focused as hard as possible and it caused the tree to begin to smolder."

"Firstly, I am impressed that you could narrow the beam; that requires sharp skill in focusing. Lastly, that must have been very powerful. No, it isn't normal because not many people try to create fire with _Lumos_,but with enough power it would make sense. How have you progressed with Occlumency?" Dumbledore inquired.

"I do not know how to explain it well, but I think I feel more comfortable controlling my memories and emotions much better," Ion was confident in his progress.

"Get ready, I will test you now." Dumbledore moved closer to the boy and looked into his eyes. Ion felt the initial sensation of an intruder he felt the previous day. He immediately focused on closing his memories from external access, and separating himself from his emotions. With little effort, Ion repelled Dumbledore's attack. "That was incredibly impressive. But, I warn you I held back a bit. If I was to use my wand and cast certain spells, it would be much more difficult to repel me. Because you increased your strength so quickly, I believe you may be able to resist other mental affecting spell. We will get into those later, but now we must progress." Dumbledore walked over to a large cabinet and removed a rather large and heavy stone basin. He used a spell to move the basin across the room.

The stone basil was decorated with runes on its the borders, and filled with a clear liquid. "This is a Pensieve, Ion. A typical Pensieve is used to allow one to remove memories for view. However, this Pensieve has been altered for our purposes. First I must advise you how to use it. It is fairly simple, but do not let that fool you; it is dangerous. In essence, we are editing your mind with a devise that doesn't realize it is destroying you. With your Occlumency, you will be able to detect any dangers; if you feel it going too deep, or in the wrong place you must return it to a proper path. You can control how it enters your memory with your control. While the entire process is being conducted, you must be vigilant in detecting any possible problems. It is your mind you will know when you are in danger." Dumbledore waved his wand, which caused a book to appear on the table. The book was titled, 'Transfiguration Level I.'

Waving his wand, Dumbledore casted a silent spell on the book which caused it to glow silver. After placing the book in the basin, the book turned to the consistency and color of quicksilver. "You must place you face on top of the basin. You will feel as if you have left the room, which mean everything is correct. Then you will feel a similar sensation to my mental invasions, but you will have more control over it. Do not block the information rather guide it. Afterwards, you may feel severe pain in your head, but it is expected and harmless. Shall we begin?" Dumbledore questioned enthusiastically. Ion felt quite fearful of the process but continued with determination.

He positioned his face over the silver; immediately everything went black. He floated along in an infinite void for a moment, until a silver orb became visible in the distance. Without warning, an iridescent stream of light, coming from the distant orb, filled his vision. He felt the strange sensation in his consciousness, and guided the information into his memory. Because of Ion's uncompromised mental focus, time didn't seem to be quantifiable. He stood tall in Dumbledore's office without knowing how long he had been directing the information.

"Professor, how long did that last?" Ion inquired, feeling rather dizzy.

"You withstood the process for over one hour, which is odd because you don't seem to be affected.." The pain hit Ion like a bullet; it filled his entire skull with a furious burning. The pain got progressively worse as the seconds carried on, the burning moved deeper into his mind. Ion fell to the floor, grabbed his hair, gritted his teeth, and rolled into a ball. The pain made his eyes see white or black for brief moments, and made him feel extremely dizzy. The pain strictly affected his physical body; it was not even slightly mental. Ion focused on the darkness desperately, while trying to separate himself from his emotions. The pain numbed very significantly, which allowed Ion to return to his feet. Dumbledore scrutinized Ion carefully, while the boy rose to his feet.

"What happened?" Dumbledore asked calmly, but his face looked very concerned.

"My entire head felt like an inferno. I numbed it with Occlumency, but the pain is still raging on." Ion looked to be in terrible shape.

"Sit down, Ion." Dumbledore's hand pushed Ion straight down into a chair that had not been there a few seconds previously. "I was warned about this. You have absorbed the information too well, which caused your mind to feel that burning sensation. I was told that it affects only those who can absorb information oddly well. I did not wish to worry you about the most unlikely of the side effects. The pain will last a little while, but it will leave absolutely no lasting damage at all, I assure you of that." Dumbledore looked stressed at the boy's terrible condition. Ion seemed dazed and confused; his eyes lost focus every few moments. "We can give up the Pensieve learning and work on a new method. I can teach you everything you know, and I will not lie to you. You would be able to learn must faster than most people on this planet; you proved that to me already. I will just use the Time-turner with you." Dumbledore looked very serious in his offer because he felt guilty for the boy's pain.

Ion's eyes widened at the suggestion; Dumbledore though the pain had broke through his defenses. "No! I can take the pain; I will not run when things get difficult, it is just not like me." Ion looked very serious in his assertion. "I will continue with the training and move faster if it is safe." Dumbledore frowned.

"I understand completely. You should sleep for a little while. You will be meeting with Professor McGonagall for her class. I will alert her of your condition immediately, so she may understand you tardiness." Dumbledore summoned a bed with his wand in the middle of the room.

"No, I can make it on time." Ion stood up and stumbled slightly as he tried to walk to the door. "Where is her classroom?" He stumbled and used the chair to keep his balance.

"You are not thinking rationally at the moment; please take a moment to think. You need rest; you are not used to this type of mental abuse yet. Be smart about this," Dumbledore pleaded.

"Fine!" He walked over to the bed and collapsed. He slept dreamlessly for about two hours. When he awoke, the pain in his head completely subsided. Soon, he heard brisk footsteps coming to the office followed by Professor McGonagall entering the room. Her demeanor softened when she saw Ion sitting in the bed, looking disheveled.

"I heard about your reaction to the treatment; you don't have to worry about attending class today. After some reviewing with the Time-turner, you will be completely recharged by tomorrow."

"No, I can continue today; there is nothing to worry about." He looked seriously at her. "Where do I go?"

"You go to your room and sleep," her austere personality showing brightly.

"I must keep going; I can handle this." He looked at her pleadingly.

"No, I must look out for your best interests," she said while turning to leave.

"Who else can teach me?" She looked offended on many levels, but understood the boy's feelings. She still seemed slightly angry.

"Dumbledore taught transfiguration before, so ask him," she snapped. Without her realizing it, Ion's wand was in his hand. '_Fio Muris' _A cup that was near his bed instantly gained a tail and fur. _'Finite' _The crude mouse, cup hybrid returned to its natural state.

"I will learn myself; it will take longer and be much harder, but I will do it." He said calmly. She turned completely so her body faced him too.

"Why don't you rest? I want you to be safe."

"I know you do, and I appreciate it very much. But, every moment that I am not at the place I need to be, is a moment wasted in my view." He earnestly said.

"Fine. Follow me." She walked quickly out of the room and down the stairs. Walking fast, they reached her room and entered unceremoniously. They sat in the two desks at the front of the room. "You are probably going to be a Gryffindor; you know that right?" she said playfully. "Only Gryffindors disregard their own safety when after a goal. Now, I need to know how much you know; do you mind answering a bit of questions?" she asked casually. Ion knew she was too casual for this to be good.

"Yes." She proceeded to ask him the most important incantations and wand movements in the text. He answered each question easily, which made her smile.

"At least your entire ordeal was worth something, you seem to have very good knowledge of the text." She shifted in her seat slightly. "We will now begin to train your practical application of the spells. I hear raving enthusiasm about your focusing abilities, which I hope are true. In Transfiguration, focus is the key because there is so much to consider. You must understand the objects you are changing and the object that you are changing it into. If your mind is occupied with other thoughts the spell may not work. The need for intense focus makes this subject very difficult for the inattentive students." She breathed deeply.

"Your spell on the cup was done properly, but you had not focused properly. You must completely change the cup into the mouse in your mind, while understanding the details of each. Transfiguration is difficult when live animals come into play—the more complex they are the more difficult the spell is. Let's try something simple first." She removed a blue button from her pocket and placed it on Ion's desk. She held her wand and changed the color of the button to a bright pink. She told him to attempt the color change. His first attempt failed to be very spectacular, but the second try was perfect. She then changed the button's color and shape—it became a green heart-shaped button. He transfigured the odd button into a red triangle, at her request.

The exchange of spells continued on various objects. After every successful attempt, she would add something else to change. Eventually, they were changing pieces of clay into detailed sculptures. They continued for hours, working on a number of different spells. They took few breaks, during which they stretched or got drinks. They both ate lunch on the special golden plates quickly. By the end of the day, Ion had reviewed the major aspects of the text. She assigned him work to do that night using the Time-turner. She requested that he master the major spells over the course of the night, and quickly review the smaller details and less common spells in the text. She assured him that he would have to demonstrate his progress for her first thing in the morning. They parted and Ion returned to his room, gathered his supplies, and moved to the room of requirement for dinner, sleep and training.

He passed the room needing a place to train and relax again. The Room of Requirement looked similar except for a few changes. The flowers were much brighter now, and the rock was replaced by a large tree stump, which was covered in objects to transfigure. He knew that with those objects he could practice the spells much more efficiently. He walked to the large stump and began to train for a few hours. He quickly mastered every spell he attempted after the first attempt. He understood that transfiguration was a simple concept with varying levels of difficulty. He quickly began speeding through all the spells he learned. He took a few breaks in order to eat and sleep.

He mastered everything in the text that he learned, so he decided to resort to Occlumency to pass the time; he wanted to be able to block the pain after the Pensieve treatment. He cycled between practicing spells and Occlumency. Eventually he had enough and decided to end the work for the night. He used the Time-turner to return to the point when he first entered the room, and realized it would be a few hours before his usually bedtime. He decided to explore a little bit. The castle's corridors were completely deserted for a few ghosts, which he still hadn't gotten used to. He was explained about ghosts and many other things on his first conversation with McGonagall.

Ion felt like relaxing near the lake for a little while, even though it was night. He stealthily reached the front doors and opened them quietly. He jogged quickly yet quietly to the lake. There were many trees near the lake that were not part of the forest. Ion was a very good distance from the forest, thus he was comfortable with his safety. He stared at the stars and watched the dark clouds float slowly by. Though he knew he was safe, he still glanced into the forest. He was enthralled by the mystery of the forest, not fearful of the danger. The forest was completely black against the dotted sky of the horizon.

While readjusting himself, Ion distinctly saw something white in the border of the grounds and trees. He quickly turned his head back to that area and whipped out his wand. _'Lumos.' _The incredibly bright cone of light bathed the trees nearest the border of the forest. Nothing was visible except trees; he was too far to make any distinctions, and the forest was too lush to penetrate it from that distance. 'What the hell was that? Well I can't ask Dumbledore; he would crucify me,' he thought rapidly. 'I saw something that was not a tree, I know it. Worst of all, it knew I saw it and it didn't want to be seen. Shit… It was watching me.' He looked around him quickly, making sure that nothing was sneaking up on him. He was at least one hundred and fifty feet away from the forest, but he was sure he saw something. It was hard to miss anything a pale white against the darkness. After his reflexive scan of the area, he realized he was safe for the moment.

'If it wanted to hurt me, it could have while I laid there. I cannot let this go unnoticed, but there is always the possibility that I did imagine it,' he thought, but barely believing that he didn't see it. He came to the conclusion that it wasn't after his life desperately or else it would have attempted an attack. He decided he would return to the same area again, but be much more vigilant. Listening carefully to anything that did not sound natural, he walked clandestinely back to the school. He reached his room, changed, showered, and went to sleep. The last image in his mind was the small pale white object against the dark trees.

Ion's morning was uneventful; he passed McGonagall's tests, ate breakfast, and walked to Dumbledore's office. There he met with Dumbledore, a text book, and the large Pensieve. Seeing and smiling at Ion, Dumbledore used his wand to turn the book into the silvery substance. Instinctively, Ion hesitated, but forced his body to relax and undergo the ordeal. The out of worldly experience was the same, but afterwards the pain was significantly less. Ion was able to completely block the pain before it had any negative effects on his body or mind. He felt tired, but not as exhausted as the previous day. Dumbledore insisted that he sleep for a short while, which Ion agreed to. The rest lasted slightly more than an hour, and Dumbledore gave him directions to the dungeons. He was going to begin basic potions making with Professor Snape.

The corridors in the dungeons were very unfriendly to students. The draft was incredibly cold at all times in this part of the school. He knocked on the door that was marked 'Professor Snape.'

"Come in," said a nasty voice. Ion opened the door and walked into the room, which was filled with many large desks; the walls were covered in many sorts of pickled creatures. "I am Professor Severus Snape; you are Ion, I assume?"

"Yes, I am here for a Potions lesson." Ion did not look intimidated, but he felt it.

"Fine, I will briefly test you on the knowledge of the text." Professor Snape curled his lip ion annoyance. The greasy haired man seemed annoyed that he had to teach during the summer. Snape began to quickly ask questions about the slightest details in the text. Ion answered correctly and fully each time. Snape's expression was unreadable after Ion's impressive performance. "Have you studied the text at all, in addition to your hyper learning? Snape inquired curiously.

"No, I just finished the process little more than an hour ago," Ion said calmly, but still nervous.

"Interesting, well let us begin to brew some potions. The first that will be brewing is the Forgetfulness Potion; I assume you know how to brew it?"

"Yes, I have the basic idea of how to brew it." Ion clumsily handled the cauldron assigned for his use. The ingredients were simple to handle, but the process was slightly confusing. He cut the ingredients properly, but failed to mix the ingredients properly. Once Ion made his first mistake Snape made all the contents of the cauldron disappear.

"You mix each ingredient completely before adding the next, unless otherwise specified," Snape said with a scowl.

"I thought I did." Ion looked disappointed.

"You thought wrong. You must wait until the potion shows a change. After you add each ingredient the potion should change slightly; you must be able to identify these because it is your best way to know if you should stop mixing. Ion continued with the potion brew first very skillful; he finished the potion in perfect time. He gave Snape a sample in a small vial. "Very good, that was the potion final for First Years. The simple fact that you completed it easily shows you are skilled. I expected you to make many mistakes so you would learn much faster. I did not expect you to do it with few errors. So I will improvise your class for the rest of the day." Snape conjured a tray of more ingredients and two other cauldrons with his wand.

Snape requested that Ion create three potions in the allotted time. The time limit required him to brew the potions at the exact same time. "You will become much more comfortable with the potion techniques if you are under high pressure." He then gave three mildly difficult potions for Ion to brew. Ion had only one and a half hours to finish the three potions, but each potion required at least an hour. He began to work on the first potion for ten minutes then moved onto another for another ten. After switching back to each potion many times, Ion had finished the potions properly. Snape approved of the potions and began the next assignment.

Snape walked through a closet and beckoned Ion to follow, which he did. Through the door was a small room filled with various potion ingredients. Snape began to test Ion on various ingredients that were used in the text; Ion answer well to each question. "You know what the potion ingredients do, but can you make your own potions? I want you to try to brew a potion not in the text, but with the ingredients in the text." Ion nodded and began to scan the shelves for ideas and ingredients.

"I will make a potion that allows the memory of the user to be relaxed and open to new additions." Ion looked at Snape confidently, while grabbing a variety of ingredients. Within an hour of work, Ion had produced a charm that relaxes the blocks of a user's memory for increased absorption. He used the main ingredients that were for the Forgetfulness Potion and main ingredients for a relaxation potion. The result was an effective brew that would help people learn efficiently. He prepared a vial for Snape's inspection; he waited for Snape's opinion.

"This potion was made properly and with perfect technique, but these potions are not meant for repetitive use. The user becomes dependant on the potion, thus limited their learning abilities without it. This potion is quite strong so it would be advised to not abuse it." Snape looked seriously at the boy.

"Wait I could drink it?" Ion looked very surprised.

"Well it is not for decoration," Snape said with a small curl of his lip. "You may leave for today, but you have assignments. You must produce fifteen samples of a potion for my inspections tomorrow. The first ten should be challenging potions from your text, and the other five should be completely not in the text." Snape got up and walked to the ingredient room. He returned with a wooden tray that was composed of many compartments. "All you do it is touch your wand to a compartment and say the ingredient. It can be used anywhere n the school; do not abuse it. Now, you may leave." Snape walked to the door of the class and opened it. Ion walked through the door and briskly to his room.

He executed his post-class routine he had developed, of eating, showering, changing, and going to the Room of Requirement. Armed with is Time-turner, Ion embarked on creating the potions. He made the first ten two at a time in the room. He was able to make two because the room had granted him not with the usual forest but with various cauldrons and potion equipment. The first ten potions were finished within seven hours, while the final five were finished in six. He had to detail each of the custom potions and carefully brew them to perfection. Confident with his creations, Ion bottled the potions in his vials as he completed them.

Finished with his potions, he moved to a large block of Occlumency training, which lasted over seven hours. After a few hours nap, he practiced a little more focusing techniques before leaving to his room. He left with all of his supplies in hand ready for sleep, which he direly needed.

He reported to Professor Snape to bring the required samples, and then reported to Professor Dumbledore's office. Snape had not been in his office, so he left the samples on the desk in the class. Once through the doors, he saw the usual scene of the large basin and a book, but with a single new addition—Professor Snape. Ion walked closer to the others and waited for one of them to say something, which didn't take very long.

"Ion, we will begin your Defence Against the Dark Arts training today. If you would use the Pensieve now I would appreciate it, time is of the essence." Ion stood over the basin and felt the same sensations for almost an hour. He finished and felt the pain in his head that had been much less painful then the first time now. He used Occlumency to numb the discomfort.

"I will not need any rest, Professor." Ion stood energetic in front of the two men.

"Very well, we shall teach you to duel now. Stand over there." Ion moved away from the men and turned once he reached the requested point. "A duel is combat between wizards. Mostly it is to the death, but there are friendly competitions of dueling. We will prepare you to survive in this now chaotic world. When someone casts a curse at you, you should dodge it, block it, or cast a counter-curse. You have just learned various hexes and curses; you may use a few on Professor Snape, who has graciously asked me to assist us," Dumbledore said with a smile; Snape did not look too thrilled at the Professor's words.

_'__Expelliarmus__.' _Ion said with his wand pointed at Snape. Snape waved his wand and the spell disappeared before making contact.

"See, he casted a curse that makes your spell useless. Not all curses have counter-curses, and most spells have them but are impractical to use. They may be too difficult to cast, or not necessary. For example, Professor Snape could have easily cast a shield charm that would have worked even better. It makes more sense to learn more general defense and master them, before working on the specifics. There are just too many spells to worry about counter-curses for each."

"Sirs, I have had a question. The text only discusses defense, but what if I want to learn offense? The spells listed seem to specialize in how to react when attacked and only to disable the opponent. I want to learn how to harm them." Ion seemed not to understand how that exactly sounded until it was too late. "NO! I mean I don't think making people that are trying to kill me lose their wands is effective enough to stop them. I want to make them want to escape or stop hurting me. I don't just want to hurt people. Regardless, I am sure there will be times that I need to attack someone, and they will deserve it." Ion stopped talking because everything was coming out wrong.

Dumbledore took a second to think about an appropriate answer, but Snape beat him to it. "You will learn more effective spells in later classes. I will be returning as the dueling club moderator at the start of term. I will be happy to assist you in any questions you have," Snape was uncharacteristically helpful, mainly because he had a chance to teach the dark arts to a willing student, who was not planning to be a Death Eater.

"Harming and killing opponents should be last resorts, Ion. There are many ways to incapacitate your opponent without permanently harming them. Of course, there will be times when you will be forced to hurt enemies, but you will learn that later on when you have understood the alternatives," Dumbledore said, trying to cover up Professor Snape's offer. "We should go outside and practice dueling more intensely. I do not want my office to become a warzone."

The three men walked out of the office and headed to the castle grounds. Ion walked a foot behind the others trying to remember the quicker paths around the castle. They reached the castle grounds and got into position. Ion and Snape began to duel, while Dumbledore gave advice on Ion's methods. Ion was repeatedly beaten brutally by Snape. Snape knew too much magic for Ion to attack or defend against properly. Ion's reflexes were very good, but his magical knowledge was too limited.

Both the instructors gave praise at the boy's quick thinking and speed. Ion had casta**Reductor Curse, Disarming Spell, and another Reductor Curse in quick succession. Snape had blocked the first two, but only blocked the third partially. After hours of dueling to various degrees, Ion was allowed to end the training for the day. He had the assignment of mastering the major spells and familiarizing himself with the less common ones. **

**The room took on a much more different appearance than usual. The forest had a much larger clearing in the middle where Ion would train. The trees were shaped as attacking wizards. The wooden wizards were not detailed and were the color of wood. Ion mastered the spell as usual and practiced his Occlumency and focus. He returned to his room for rest—his body was still in terrible pain. The training with the two wizards made his body ache; he was thrown back onto the floor too many times for his own comfort. **

**The training for the next week was similar. He used the Pensieve to learn about Care of Magical Creatures, Charms, History of Magic, Herbology, Astronomy, Ancient Runes, and Arithmancy. Most of those classes were taught by Professor Dumbledore, without any assignments overnight. The only assignments he had with the Time-Turner were Charms, Transfiguration, Potions, and Defence Against the Dark Arts. Ion took time every night to increase his focusing ability, and mental strength. The week that passed was uneventful; he was anxious to prepare for the next level of training. **


	5. Embers

Chapter Five: Embers

"Bella, come here," a cold voice said.

"Yes, my lord." A beautiful dark haired woman bowed in front of the pale snake like man. She kneeled in front of him willing to accept anything he said or wanted.

"Bring me Kragen; he is due for his information update."

"I will bring him to you as soon as possible, my lord."The room was now empty yet again. The pale man sat on a throne-like chair in the center of a circular room. The wall was covered in everlasting lanterns. The throne was a dull black with various gold, silver, and green designs embedded into the fabric and stone. The man sat quietly, with his wand moving between his fingers. His face looked like a mask; it had bold red eyes, and slits for nostrils. His fingers were long and pale, and continued to play with the wand.

The man sat in his chair idle, but his followers knew it as the man's time to think and plan. The sound of hurried footsteps reverberated through the round room. The doors leading into the room flung open and the dark haired woman entered. "I retrieved him from his shop; shall I send him in?"

"Yes, Bella." The voice was cold and emotionless, which sent a chill down her spine. She left and a hooded man entered the room. He walked quickly to Voldemort and kneeled in front of the Dark Lord's robes. "It is time for your information report." The voice remained emotionless and cold. Kragen's body shivered with fear because of the cold voice speaking to him.

"Of course, my lord. As of information about the Brotherhood, I have very little. They have gotten much more secretive, which has made them disappear from the underground even. Nobody seems to know any of their movements anymore. This leads me to believe that they may have gotten closer to one of their goals."

"You must try harder, Kragen. I am focusing most of my resources into this project; I cannot fail. Has there been any instances recently?" The voice sounded a little frustrated.

"Yes, a boy that entered my shop." The man kneeling shivered as the gaze of the pale man burned into his face.

"I do not care for your strange customers. Considering the objects you sell, all of your customers are going to be strange. But, I will humor you; what was strange about him?"

"He was examining many dark objects and became fascinated with a specific object—a pure silver dagger, with powerful enchantments," Kragen said, his voice rising n pitch.

"How is that odd?" Voldemort asked, obviously annoyed.

"He was accompanied by Harry Potter, and his friends." Voldemort's annoyance diminished slightly.

"I told you, Harry Potter is of little importance to me right now. But, this information could be useful in the future. What was the boy's name?" Voldemort seemed mildly interested.

"Ion. I believe an Auror was guarding him closely." Kragen's fear subsided; with Voldemort's annoyance.

"What was his last name?"

"I do not know, my lord." Kragen was obviously nervous at his lack of answer.

"Very well. Anything else to tell me?"

"Not at the moment, I will work harder at finding information for you."

"You may leave." The cold voice was flat and emotionless. The hooded man stood up and quickly left the room without turning back. A moment after he left, Bellatrix Lestrange entered the room and kneeled in front of the pale man.

"Do you need my services in anyway?" she said staring at the red eyes.

"Yes, I need you to look up any person with the name Ion. He is probably a student at Hogwarts; I need his full name and history. Please return the information to me quickly. Search all databases well for anything you find on the boy." He signaled for her to leave the room and get to work. She stood up and walked briskly out of the room. The pale man sat in his chair in the dark room, and tilted his head to the side in deep thought. 'I need to know what they are up to, now. Everything depends on it. Damn Brotherhood!' Voldemort thought to himself. He closed his eyes and waited for any new revelation to magically fall to his feet, but knew better.

Grimauld Place was quiet as usual, except for the comings and goings of the Order. Harry continued to sleep in his new room, despite its previous owner being his godfather. Harry grew tired of being a prisoner in his home and wished to escape to school or someplace new. He walked around the large house—it was early so no one was awake. He wished to wake up the others to go to Diagon Alley, he felt like he was a prisoner because of all the protective measures put in place. He walked to the kitchen and made himself a sandwich. He could have ordered his House-elf to do it for him, but he just didn't trust the little beast.

He returned to his bedroom when he heard the creaks of someone's footsteps above his head. He silently walked up the stairs, cautious not to attract attention. As he was taking a bite of his sandwich, a hand grabbed his shirt and jerked him into a nearby bathroom. He fell to the floor more from surprise than the actual pulling. From the floor he stared up into the eyes of the little red-haired girl.

"Ginny, are you trying to kill me? That is twice you made me hurt my head." Harry laughed a little and got up again. She was dressed only in her nightgown, while Harry was dressed in his pajamas. "So any reason for you trying to break my head open, or was it just for fun?" He laughed again.

"Harry, I am sorry." She walked closer and rubbed his head. She threw him into a chair in the bathroom and walked over to the sink. She started to wash her face quickly. She moved over to Harry, behind is chair, and rubbed the spot of his head where she repeatedly hit him. "What is wrong, Harry? You wake up early in the morning to eat breakfast and avoid the rush; you seem to be down about everything. Anything I can do?"

"I like being here with you and the others, but I can't stand this place. It is filled with Sirius' things and memories. I feel I'm not living life like Sirius gave his life for me to live." Ginny gave him a quizzical look and he continued. "He was a free spirit; he died because he became reckless due to his captivity. He would have wanted me to enjoy life, not be trapped in the place he was trapped in before he died," Harry said looking a little depressed.

"I understand. Maybe, we can convince mom to let us go somewhere. I am sure Tonks would love to be our escort if we do something fun. Maybe, go play quidditch somewhere? Or, how about a small trip around the UK? There are plenty of things we could be able to do." She seemed hopeful in her suggestions. "I do feel I need to escape somehow too."

"Those things would be great, but we are only allowed to go out rarely ever. I want to be able to escape a little, maybe just a change of atmosphere for a while." Ginny's hands moved down to his neck and continued rubbing. Harry hadn't noticed at first, but didn't say anything to stop her. "Maybe we can go to Hogwarts early. Ion would need some company too; I have no idea how he is surviving with all those stretches of time completely alone. I doubt Snape would make good company," Harry said with a snicker at the thought of Snape being friendly.

"Poor boy, things have been so difficult for him, yet he is still together in one piece. He is an impressive person, but there is so much we don't know about him." She looked slightly dazed, as if in a daydream. "I wish I could help him out some way." The two stayed in the corner ponder their own different thoughts, her hand still working, but not as consistently. Another person entered the room after a few moments. A disheveled looking Hermione looked at herself in the mirror, and almost died from the shock of seeing two people behind her. Ginny's hand had stopped on his shoulder and moved lower where it was out of site.

"What are you guys doing here?" Hermione shrieked while whispering. She then looked very suspiciously at the two in their awkward positions.

"We are here trying to figure out a plan of sorts," Ginny said coolly.

"What kind of plan?" Hermione looked at her even more suspiciously.

"We are trying to find a way to change the scenery and have some fun away from here. I am tired of being a prisoner in this overgrown hovel," Harry said exasperatedly.

"We are safe here, Harry. But, if you want to do something different, I will work on it as best as I can. " She looked at Harry deeply with a smile.

"WE! Want to go not just Harry." Ginny seemed a little angry.

Sensing tension, Harry interrupted. "Any ideas how to do it?"

"We would have to get permission from Dumbledore and Mrs. Weasley," Hermione said softly. "Let me go take a shower, and have breakfast. Anyway, we need to get Ron to plan with us." Hermione closed the door when the two exited. Ginny left to the kitchen for breakfast then her shower, while Harry returned to his room. He took a small nap before he would meet with the rest of the people at Grimauld place.

Harry awoke to Hermione on the corner of his bed; she was shaking him awake. "Dumbledore is here; he needs to see you." Walking to the door she turned around to give Harry an odd look, and left. Harry got dressed more appropriately and made his way down the stairs to meet with Dumbledore. Dumbledore was located in the kitchen of the large house wearing his usual odd robes.

"Harry, I need to speak to you privately. Do you mind?" Dumbledore asked with an unusual facial expression.

"No, follow me." Harry led him out of the room into a smaller room that was made for private conversations. It had two chairs in its center. Casting protective charms, Dumbledore sat down in a chair across from Harry. The white-haired man removed an envelope from a large pocket of his robes, and placed it in Harry's hands.

"Open it Harry; it is very important." Dumbledore looked a little anxious. Harry opened it and removed a small stack of papers. They were his inheritance papers. He flipped through the pages reading everything on the list. The list was organized by category. First were the accounts at Gringotts, from which he inherited three vaults filled with Galleons. Next were estates, which Harry would legally own. He owned Grimauld Place and another estate named, 'Black Island.' He continued to read the rest of the pages, which indicated he would be sole heir to all possessions of Sirius Black.

"Wow, I had no idea there was so much." Harry looked at the paper with his mouth open. Harry slowly returned his face back to normal. "What is Black Island?" Harry asked, interested.

"It is an island that was the main estate of the Black family. They moved from it generations ago leaving it completely empty. It was heavily protected by enchantments, so the Castle and island still will be uninhabited by any unwelcome people or creatures." Dumbledore said casually. Harry seemed surprised that he owned an island. "Those papers are yours, Harry. Please keep them safe for future reference. Dumbledore sat up and left the room. Harry remained in the room, but shut the lights off and closed the curtains—he needed to think. After about ten minutes the door sneaked open, and small footsteps drew nearer to the chair.

A familiar hand found its place on his shoulder, and it was welcomed completely. Harry turned to see the small girl through the darkness. She saw his slightly sad expression. "I have inherited so much; but I really don't want any of it. I don't want to be the Boy-Who-Lived or The-Boy-Who-Inherited-Sirius Black's-Stuff."

"I don't know you as that; you are Harry Potter. You will always be different than most, Harry. Just live your life; do not waste it thinking about this stuff," she said comfortingly. She moved her hand down to his and grasped it. Harry squeezed gently—he felt that it was right. He moved to the floor and she sat next to him, hand in hand. Harry leaned his head on her should and she leaned closed to him. She stroked his cheek, knowing that he still felt guilty and upset about Sirius. A while passed with them in this position until, Harry came to a realization.

"We can move to the island. Nobody would find us there, locating the island is impossible. The protection on the island is very strong; I doubt we would be unsafe there. I need to ask Dumbledore now." He stood up walked toward to door and stopped. He walked back to Ginny, and yanked her up. He grabbed her hand and walked quickly out of the room. They searched through nearby areas for him but it seems he had been long gone. They entered the kitchen and confronted Mrs. Weasley.

"Mom, has Dumbledore left? We need to speak with him," she said urgently. Her mother looked surprised at her daughter's tone, and looked more surprised to see her child's hand intertwined with Harry's.

"Yes, he left a while ago. Why do you need him?" she asked very curiously.

"I have inherited everything from Sirius, including an island with a castle. I was wondering if we could move the Order Headquarters there. It is much safer and unknown, and we can all relax a little more and enjoy the surroundings," Harry said quickly. She stood in awe thinking of the prospect.

"That is actually not a bad idea. Let me get Dumbledore so we can discuss this now." She turned and disappeared from the room. Ginny turned to Harry beaming; she knew that there was a chance to move to the location. Harry smiled back at the girl. Mrs. Weasley re-entered the room rather quickly. "He will be here in five minutes; I think he will do it." The woman's eyes wandered down to the hands of the teenagers. The two teenagers sat down opposite of the kitchen table and began to eat a small snack.

Dumbledore entered the room gracefully and said, "So what is this idea that you need to speak to me about?"

"Harry has offered to allow us to move the Headquarters of the Order to his island." She smiled at Harry. In thought, Dumbledore did not say anything.

"The island is not secured for Order activity, but with some proper protection enabled, it will. The island could be ready within a few days. This is actually the perfect opportunity that I needed. Harry, do you mind if Ion stayed in the castle—he will be done with his training very soon and has no place to stay during the rest of the summer or holidays. Do you mind?" Dumbledore asked seriously.

"No, that would be fine. When can we visit the castle?" Harry asked hopefully.

"We can visit today; I need to gather a small guard just in case the island is dangerous." Dumbledore left the room to summon some other Order members. He returned over five minutes later from the other room. "A few Order members will be arriving here within the hour. They will help us protect the island from any possible threats. Please get ready for the trip; please get Ronald and Hermione." Harry and Ginny both went to search for Ron and Hermione. They alerted the others and they all prepared for a trip to the mysterious island.

The dark-haired woman entered the round room anxiously. She feared her information was not sufficient enough and feared Voldemort's disappointment. She knelt in front of the tall, pale man. He sat in the dark throne waiting for any new information to fall to his feet.

"Yes, Bella? Have you discovered the information I requested about the boy?" Voldemort said very bored. The woman shivered slightly; the man's voice cut through her body like a cold blade.

"My lord, information has been difficult to find; I fear I failed you," she said genuinely upset.

"You failed to find simple information on a teenager? How is that possible? You are my best, most reliable and trusted servant; how did this happen?" Voldemort demanded mildly angry.

"He was not listed under any wizarding databases. He seems not to exist in the Wizarding world. I searched through all my resources to find any record of him in any magical database, but he does not exist. I have found few people named Ion, but they are much older or much younger. I then searched muggle records and I found a name. It fits his age; his name is Ion Winterz." Voldemort lost his icy composure for a brief moment—his mouth and eyes opened widely. "His records begin when he was about five. He lived in an orphanage after that time. I could not get access to any more information. The Ministry records are too protected to access alone," she said shakily.

"This is not your fault, Bella. I will not take this as a failure on your part." The woman on the floor seemed relieved. "Would you please leave; I need my privacy to think." She left the room and again he was left alone to his thoughts. His pale fingers clutched his wand tightly, while he closed his eyes in exasperation. 'I see you have been found, Ion. I did not wish you to be found until the time was right, but I see I waited too long. I must know what is going on now."

Voldemort's pale fingers wrapped around his wand and he touched the tip of it to his forearm. The empty pale skin suddenly turned black with a Dark Mark. He kept the wand pressed to the dark spot for some time. The mark began to smoke slightly, and Voldemort's face showed absolutely no recognition of the incredible pain surging through his own arm. Usually, he would allow another to experience this pain, but this situation was too secret.

Miles away Severus Snape's arm burst with incredible pain. The usual summon lasted only a few seconds to a minute, but this had lasted over five minutes so far. He knew that whoever he was using for the summoning would be feeling an incredible amount pain worse than his own. The only way to stop the burning was to perform Occlumency or go to him. If he did not go to him then Voldemort would be angry and probably kill him. He decided that the only logical action was to go to Voldemort's side without Dumbledore's approval. He left the castle grounds and apperated to Voldemort's location. Within a few minutes of intense running, Snape entered the round room and kneeled at the pale man's feet, breathing heavily.

"Severus, do not keep me waiting long when I summon you like that. I do not care if your cover is blown at the moment. Tell me what you know of Ion Winterz!" Voldemort's voice was high and colder than ever.

"I do not know much. Dumbledore entered him through the school. He does not know much about magic at all; he was raised in a completely muggle environment. He is going to be entered at the sixth year level so he may begin N.E.W.T classes. He is using a special Pensieve training to make the boy's learning much faster. Ion is showing exceptional progress and drive; Dumbledore worries he is too strong for his own good at the moment." Snape paused for a moment. "He may make a good addition to the Death Eaters, if properly motivated." Snape despised the words that exited his mouth. He knew Voldemort would agree to have a powerful Death Eater in the student body. Snape did not want Ion to become a Death Eater—that life was not suitable for someone of his potential.

"You will not mention that he is a good candidate for the Death Eaters. He will not be a Death Eater as long as I am in control." Snape could not hide his surprise. "You must keep what is said here secret. You must not tell Dumbledore, Severus. This is beyond Death Eater activity. You must make sure that no harm befalls the boy. How has he reacted to the training it sounds incredibly dangerous?" Voldemort inquired seriously.

"He has been using the process to its maximum potential. He absorbs all the information completely; he is also naturally skilled in the practical application of the knowledge. He has been able to completely dull the pain accompanied with the Pensive."

"Pain?" Voldemort asked with a low voice.

"Yes, he absorbs the information at such an accelerated rate that it causes incredible pain in his brain. Dumbledore says it may have been near the Cruciatus level. He has been able to block the pain almost completely." Voldemort looked oddly angry at this information, but Snape did not see it because his face was pointing to the floor.

"How long did the initial pain last and how did he react to it?" Voldemort said with a flat voice, while his faced showed anger.

"I have been informed that the pain lasted over five minutes. After the pain had subsided, he refused to rest as advised by Dumbledore. But, Dumbledore convinced him." Snape was unsure why this information was important with Voldemort, but did not dare to ask.

"How far has he progressed at the moment?"

"He has mastered the first three years of Hogwarts easily; he has become adept at dueling. The only reason I still beat him is because I know much more powerful magic than he does. His reflexes and quick thinking are very impressive. His potion making has become very impressive. He has gotten to the point where the directions in the text are not good enough for him; he experiments with his own methods, which usually work better." Snape said truthfully. He knew he should be deceiving Voldemort at the moment, but without any advice from Dumbledore or any cover stories, it would be easily discovered.

"You will not alert anyone to my interest in the boy, or the boy in general. This has nothing to do with any Ministry or Order business. I do not think you will find it useful to tell Dumbledore of this information. If you do, you will die… slowly." The man on the floor agreed and Voldemort loosed his grip on his wand. "Leave, now."

Snape left the room and apperated back to the school. He walked through the anti-apparition wards and up to his office. He was not planning on telling Dumbledore any of this because it would cause a difference in how the boy is treated. That would undoubtedly get back to Voldemort and cause him to kill Snape.

"Everyone hurry. The Portkey will be leaving in two minutes," Dumbledore said loudly to the small crowd. The crowd consisted of Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Tonks, Moody, Lupin, and other wizards who Harry did not know. The entire group all placed a finger on the dinner plate that Dumbledore made into a Portkey. Everyone had their wands in their hands at Dumbledore's request. Even the underage members were prepared to cast any spells necessary. Dumbledore had made a formal request that day to allow underage magic on the island. It had been approved by Fudge only because Dumbledore "insisted."

The Portkey transported them to a golden sand beach. A few moments after their landing their shoes were filling with sand. They saw a huge castle over the deep forest. The forest seemed to have grown wild from year of desertions. Dumbledore beckoned Moody to scan the area with his eye. After a moment of disturbing spinning and swirling, the eye settled in its typical spot. "There are no magical traps, creatures, or other living things, but there is an odd magical signature in the forest," Moody said suspiciously.

"Interesting. The forest has many wand trees. That is the reason for the magical disturbances in the area. It is perfectly safe, so do not be alarmed. We need to get nearer to the castle so Moody can scan it for us." The group walked through the forest at a quick pace. The trees and bushes were very dense, which made the trek more difficult. Harry moved to the front of the group next to Dumbledore when they neared the castle. The castle was much smaller than Hogwarts, but its size was still awe inspiring to Harry. This large castle was his to own; he would live there once he was out of Hogwarts, which made Harry feel overwhelmed.

They entered the castle after the approval of Moody. The protections that had been implemented in the castle had worked even to that day. They split into groups to explore the castle. Harry and Ron were partners and were to search the upper levels of the main castle building. The others were spread into groups that would search the entire castle for anything of interest. They had orders to report all findings to Harry because he owned the castle, thus everything belonged to him. Ron and Harry walked up many flights of stairs to the top floor. The first room they entered was undoubtedly the master bedroom. The room was larger than The Burrow. Ron looked around the room in awe. They saw a large bed that seemed to be in optimal condition. The room was not dusty or dirty in the slightest bit. The charms on the building prevented the buildup of any dirt or dust. The room was filled with many closets, a fireplace, many sofas, bathrooms, tables, desks, and windows. There was a spiraling staircase in the corner of the room that led to another room above them. After climbing the stairs, they entered a smaller bedroom. This bedroom was different because it had no walls. It was on the roof of the castle. A large bed, desk, cabinet, and large comfortable chairs.

"Where are the walls?" Ron asked, obviously confused.

"It must be enchanted to protect from the elements; it is pretty cool don't you think?" Harry said with a smile.

"It is bloody awesome." They then moved one to another room. The room they stood outside was different from others. It was a door that had iron bars and studs all through it. When Ron tried to open the door, it did not budge. Harry tried and it opened with ease.

"It must open to the rightful Lord of the Castle." Harry looked up the stone stairs and wanted to explore. After trekking up the long staircase, they entered a room with an enormous throne. The room was lit by the large windows, which were the majority of the walls. Harry stepped closer to the throne in order to appreciate the power and beauty. He noticed T the very top of the throne a small glowing orb was embedded into the throne. Harry looked closer to it and saw it was an orb filled with what looked like fire. The orb was completely filled with wild flames. It created a small glow in the area around it.

The two boys left the room and met with the others. Then entire search of the castle took over five hours. The castle had nothing very noteworthy except a huge library, terrifying looking dungeon equipped with many prison cells, many bedrooms, and an exquisite kitchen. The old members of the group circled the perimeter of the island casting many spells. By the time the sun set, the entire island had been protected for the Order. It now could resist any invasion or attack better than Grimauld Place. Everyone took another Portkey to Grimauld place to pack up and move everything to the new residence.


	6. Whisper in the Wind

Chapter Six: Whisper in the Wind

"Ion, fifth year training is very important because of you O.W.Ls are taken this year. Of course, I have pulled some strings to allow you to take them soon, so you should pay extra close attention to these lessons," Dumbledore said, to the boy. Ion had been training and mastering everything he had been assigned since a few weeks previously. He had found the entire process challenging yet rewarding. His power and skills had improved greatly from the first time he used the wand. He had tried his absolute best to train his skills over the sessions. The only difficulties in his training had been the loneliness he felt on the late nights of training. He did not let anything prevent his potential from being reach so he continued his long night sessions with full zeal.

Ion had over a week left of training, which would focus on his fifth year courses. The usual time for a year's worth of work was a week. After Ion had gotten used to the training more, Dumbledore increase the speed of the training. Some days Ion would use the Pensive twice on less hand-on subjects such as Arithmancy, and Care of Magical Creatures. The fifth year courses would take longer because of the O.W.L preparation. The professors wanted to prepare Ion for the O.W.Ls as much as possible.

He had barely the slightest grasp on the date anymore. Ion had spent so much of his time using the Time-turner dates barely had any meaning to him. The only thing he really knew was Harry Potter's Birthday had passed a few days earlier. He had received a letter from Hermione ask how he was during the training. She had mentioned Harry's move to the large castle and a few tips for the O.W.Ls.

Dumbledore entered the book into the Pensieve marking the beginning of a long day's work. Ion had gone through the lesson, and Time-turner training, and was now ready to return to his room for a nights rest. He stood by his bed looking out the window to the lake. He watched the water while he ate a small meal by the window. He was not tired this night but rather restless. His eye wandered from the lake to the forest, pondering the mysteries of the trees. The trees swayed with the wind, chanting a silent song. He placed his body on the bed and went to sleep, annoyed with the tedium.

The morning was welcoming, light caressed Ion's face with its warm touch. He ate breakfast with incredible speed, while getting dressed for his shower. Ion planned attempted to look at the day with enthusiastic zeal, but only managed to see it with eyes of cold determination. He prepared his robes for the day to come and laid them on the bed. He took his shower, which he found relaxing. After entering his room, he walked to the robes on the bed and began to put them on. Before the fabric touched his body, a loud, sharp tapping filled the room. A large black eagle was pecking at the window with vicious force. A package hung from the bird's leg, while it pecked at the glass.

Ion ran to the window, opened it, and let the bird enter. The black eagle flew to Ion's desk and stuck its leg out, from which Ion removed the package swiftly. Connected to the package, a black envelope caught his eye. He barely noticed the large bird's departure through the window. He tore open the unaddressed envelope, and removed the small card. The black card was inscribed with the message, '**It is a gift. Open it when you have time.**' The hand message was written in a bold, straight lettering.

A second after he read the message completely, the paper burst into a green flame. Ion was tempted into opening the box but knew he did not have time; he decided to open the box after he completed the session with the Time-turner that night. He walked out of his room, with his mind still on the box. The excruciatingly slow day passed completely uneventfully. Ion returned to his room anxious to open the mysterious box, but stopped before he touched it. He knew that it would have been best to tell Dumbledore about the odd package, but did not wish to involve the man. Ion understood the dangers of opening a package, which seemed so ominous, but let his curiosity get the best of him.

He put his hand on the package, and thought of another idea. He decided to go near the lake and open it—the same spot he inhabited weeks before. Ion barely remembered the events with the white object in the dark forest, so he continued. He snuck out of the castle and walked in the great shadow of night to the lake. The moon and stars lit the grounds enough to lead him safely to his preferred spot. There he sat with his wand at the ready and the package on the large rock he decided to inhabit. The box was unlike any he had seen before; it had no visible openings. Ion rubbed his hands over the entire box searching for an opening, but the entire box was smooth. He began to get frustrated because he did not want to use magic to cut an opening in it because it could damage the contents. Becoming thoroughly annoyed, Ion growled, "Open, damn it." A slit formed at the top of the box after uttering those words. Ion smiled, somewhat impressed at the complexity of the box, and proceeded in opening the box.

The box contained two familiar shiny objects—a vicious looking dagger and a beautiful ring. Those objects were from the store in Knockturn Ally that Ion browsed through with the others. Stunned, he just looked at the objects in awe. Snapping out of his daze he picked up a paper that was attached the inside of the box. After careful scrutinizing, Ion realized it was a receipt, which indicated the objects had been paid in full. On the back of the paper a message was written in an unfamiliar text. He carefully read the message, which was instructions.

'Blood Binding

These objects could be bound to the user by blood connections. The user would be protected from anyone other than him/her from using the objects. You much cut your skin with the blade. Be sure NOT to command the blade to poison or cause a heal resistance wound because it will kill you. Take a drop of your blood and let it fall into the mouth of the dragons. Both items have a dragon with an open mouth where the blood should be dripped. From that point after, only the user can use the items to their full potential.'

This escape into the unknown and dangerous was too much for Ion to resist. He had been a victim of monotony for weeks, which made him weak to temptation. He grabbed the dagger, focusing on a normal cut, and nicked he arm. Blood trickled down the side of his arm and began to drip. Ion caught the first few drops with the mouth on the dagger; then used the right to catch a few attritional drops. After the drops entered the mouths, the objects glowed faint red for a few seconds then returned to normal. Ion noticed the box was not empty yet; it contained a small sheath for the dagger, which he utilized immediately.

Overwhelmed with curiosity, he placed the ring on his finger. There was no immediate effect on his senses as he was expecting. After some thought, he understood he needed to will the ring to enhance a specified sense. Focusing on enhanced sight, the area around him changed rapidly. The dark grounds seemed the brighten considerable, but everything had an odd green hue to it. He looked around, realizing that it also increased the distance e could see with perfect detail. He looked to the forest and could see the subtle details of the tree perfectly.

Impressed by the effect on his sight, he focused on the sense of smell. His olfactory abilities seemed to be put into overdrive. He could smell the grass, water, and trees perfectly. After some careful experimentation with this sense, he moved onto hearing. He could hear the rustle of the leaves from where he sat, perfectly—he could almost hear each leaf's melody in the wind. Ion assumed the effect on taste would be similar to the effect on his smell, so he skipped testing it out. He did now find tasting grass with enhanced sensitivity to be a pleasant experience.

He willed the ring to grant him the all of the enhanced senses at the same time. The world seemed different with them activated. Ion appreciated the details of his surroundings much more than usual. He could sense subtle changes in the world around him he was previously ignorant to. He stared out into the lake enjoying the details of the intricate patters of waves, when a breeze came from the direction of the forest. The previous breezes had been blowing into the forest, but this change in direction alerted Ion instantly. There was smell on the wind that he did not notice before; it was subtle but out of place. The odor was intricate; it was comprised of the smells of meat, but both raw and cooked with seasonings.

The smell grew stronger and a hint of sweat filled the breeze, but the breeze did not increase. He focused on his hearing, listening for anything that could alert him. The leaves seemed to play a song conducted by the breeze, but something was interrupting their performance. Some leaves and branches moved too quickly to be a result of the wind, and he distinctly heard footsteps on the soft soil. Not wanting the creep in the forest to be aware his knowledge, Ion removed the dagger from the sheath. He turned his body so the dagger would not be visible from the view of the sneak in the forest. He moved the dagger so he could see the reflection of the forest in the blade. After a few seconds of watching he noticed small change of color—there was a flash of white in a single spot. The visual disruption was simultaneous with the sound of sudden movement.

Ion put the blade in the sheath and placed it in his pocket. He willed the ring to give him better hearing, which it did. He could hear the leaves much clearer than before, but it was slightly overwhelming. There was so much to listen to in the forest and lake. He ignored the sounds of the lake and focused on any disruptions in the leaves. He heard a slight disturbance in a single area, which he knew lurked the figure in the shadows. Ion willed the ring the give him increased sight and lessened the hearing, smell and taste. Sure of where the intruder stood, he crossed his arms inconspicuously and pointed the wand directly at the trees where the intruder spied. _'Pulsus Trees.' _A large section of trees were completely forced from their roots. They were pushed back into the forest; the result looked like it had been hit with a bomb. Nothing in the area had any clear escape because of the many overturned trees. After casting the spell, Ion turned around with amazing speed and surveyed the land. He saw many trees falling to the ground, while other were still being uprooted and pushed back. In the mess of trees he saw a figure move swiftly and gracefully in the mess. Ion pointed his wand at the figure and yelled a spell. _'Stupefy.' _A bolt of red light traveled the trees and hit its mark with perfect precision. The figure glowed red and dropped to the floor.

Ion ran to the disaster area with his wand drawn. He casted a few levitating charms on the trees and put them back into the Earth, then casted Repairing Charms on the roots to secure them into the ground. He worked quickly so anyone looking into the forest would not see the mess; he feared someone in the castle heard the loud cracking and falling of trees. He moved to the body and dragged it to lean on a tree. _'__Incarcerous.' _Robes bound the body by many parts of the body—the body would be completely unable to move.

_'__Ennervate.' _The body began to struggle under the bindings. Ion willed his ring to drop all enhancements, which made the world seem dark and alone once again. The forest was completely black, which prevented him from seeing the body on the ground. _'Lumos.' _The area was lit by a bright light but not bright enough to be seen from the castle. The captive on the floor was a man, who did not seem to belong in a forest. He seemed young and oddly stylish—he dressed better than most people Ion had seen in his life. Tee man's skin was pale, and his hair was a deep and shiny black, which looked perfectly straight and shoulder length.

Nothing about the man seemed different than another fop except for his eyes. The irises of his eyes were completely black, which seemed very eerie and animal like. "What are you doing spying on me?" Ion asked commandingly. The captive only laughed at the boy's command. "I know what you are. I just learned it recently." Ion then focused the light onto a spot on the man's neck. The spot began to smoke lightly, but the beams power wasn't enough to burn anything. "A vampire? What the hell were you doing spying on me?" Ion asked, getting angry.

"Silly child, I am not your enemy," the vampire said laughingly.

"I am not your meal either." Ion's eyes were furious.

"I was ordered to protect you when you entered the forest. I was told you were young and foolish." The man smiled again at the boy.

"Who ordered you?" The man laughed slightly. "This is not a time for you to be joking with me."

"What are you going to do? You are a child, are you going to destroy me?" he said with a small smile.

"Sure, why not." The smile on the captive man disappeared instantly. Vampires were exceptional at sensing lies, fear, and other emotion. This vampire knew Ion was prepared to do anything. Ion pointed the beam of light directly in the face of the man and focused it to be brighter. The vampire grunted from the burning the light produced. _'Silencio.' _The vampire's sounds completely halted. "Feel free to yell, nobody can hear a thing. Now, I do not appreciate being stalked or hunted. I also hate uncooperative bastards." The beam of light moved to the man's leg and began to slowly get brighter. His leg started to smolder under the light. "When you are ready to cooperate, blink repeatedly." The man started blinking furiously. _'Finite.' _The man's grunts of pain could be heard once again, but the light did not disappear.

"What is your problem!?" the vampire looked incredible angry. "I was sent here to protect you from entering the forest. I am a friend." The man said urgently.

"I know that already. Who ordered you to protect me," Ion said sarcastically.

"My clan leader ordered me. My name is Damon, and I belong to the Forest Clan." Damon looked anxious at the moment.

"Why have you been sent to protect me?" Ion asked, getting slightly angrier.

"It was the request of Dumbledore. During the summers my clan expands close to the school, but when school starts Dumbledore demands that we move further away from the school. My clan leader is grateful of Dumbledore's kindness, so he agreed to help him. Dumbledore told my leader that you might venture into the forest unprepared. I am a scout of my clan, so I was assigned to watch over you. Dumbledore's requested that you be completely unaware of his request. That is why I was hesitant of telling you." The light from Ion's wand dulled significantly.

"So, he thinks I can't be trusted?" Ion said disappointedly.

"He thought you would be unprepared, and he was obviously right. It is true you could have killed me, but you did now know what I was. Your ignorance is a huge weakness." The smile crept onto the man's face again.

"I wouldn't be so ignorant, if I was alerted of your presence. Why didn't he tell me about this?"

"He doesn't have confidence in others. He does not give anyone more information than necessary." Damon seemed a little annoyed. "I would have liked to known what you were capable of, before I took the job."

"So, you weren't looking for a mean out of me?" Ion said with a small smile.

"No, that is really a bad stereotype they put on us." Damon smirked slightly. They seemed to be sharing a silent joke.

_'Finite.' _The ropes disappeared from the man. "Sorry about the torture thing. I really thought you were here to hunt me down." Ion put his hand out to help the man up. The man's hand felt cold and smooth.

"You release me so trustingly? I could have been lying," Damon said, with mock disappointment in his voice.

"Actually, my hand is still on my wand, and I have a silver dagger that could be accessed easily." Ion smiled brightly.

"So, how the hell did you do all that? You shouldn't be able to see man at all, how did you know I was there with you back turned?"

"I have an enchanted object to increase my senses; I heard you in the forest," Ion said casually. "Okay, what did you mean a bad stereotype? I learned that vampire require blood to survive." Ion looked curios.

"We do need blood to survive. Wizards are taught very little about us. What is taught is a product of generation of fear and hate. It is mostly half-truths and exaggerated negativity. The Ministry forces schools to only teach what they approve on the subject." Damon sat down on the floor again; Ion followed suit. "Have you ever wanted to feed on the flesh on another human?" he asked sarcastically.

"No, can't say that I ever have," Ion quickly replied, softly.

"Neither have I. The only time blood is taken from humans is during intimate rituals. The person is willing to give the blood as an act of passion. The hunting of humans for food in non-existent; the lie was developed when Vampires were first created to cause hate and fear of us. I eat food that any other person would eat. We crave blood as one craves a piece of meat." Damon looked seriously at Ion.

"School really only taught me how to identify vampires nothing really about them personally. If you feed from a person do they become a vampire?"

"If that was possible, the world would be only vampires. Think about it; the expansion of vampires would be incredibly rapid. Only select few have the ability to become vampires. A ritual is done to the willing subject and is given the gift of the night. Oh, and yes you can become a vampire if you chose. The major downside with wizards becoming vampires is they lose their ability to perform magic."

"Really? I would only become one in a desperate situation."

"Vampires can also be born, but that is a complicated subject," Damon said quietly.

"I don't mind learning; I have plenty of time."

"It is very difficult to have a child between two vampires. It occurs about once every decade. The offspring are usually killed the clan as soon as it is born." Damon looked depressed.

"Why would they do such a thing; it is horrible." Ion looked disgusted.

"It is necessary because the child would be too dangerous. Let me explain the origin of my kind. When magic was becoming more specialized and powerful, wizards experimented often. We were created form such an experiment. There was a prisoner that killed many citizens in a gruesome way. The wizards thought to punish him with a curse, which would merge him with a creature associated with pure evil—the bat. The resulting transfiguration was a complete backfire. The man had many traits of the bat, such as wings, incredible bloodlust, enhanced senses, and overall appearance. The wizards added weakness to light and loss of magic to the curse."

"The curse created a creature more vicious than before, with all the powers to become a true monster in the night. In essence, they gave him the tools to become a more efficient killer. He passed the gift on to a few others, but they were different. They were sane, and didn't have an appearance change, such as wings. They had control over their blood cravings and mind. You see, the curse was not as strong when it was passed by that ritual, so each vampire after that was much less than half bat. The first vampire was hunted by humans and new vampires alike. Eventually he was killed by a small army of hunters. Now, when two vampires give birth to a child, it has a chance to inherit more traits from the parents. The traits that make them dangerous are the most likely inherited. The child could inherit a thirst for blood from both parents, which would drive the child insane. When a vampire and human give birth, the child has a chance to become less vampire. It may not need blood or be weak to the light, but these traits are usually too strong to not be passed on." Damon mocked sighed at his long talk.

"So modern vampires are civilized?

"Yes. We do not interfere with humans anymore because most hate us greatly. We are still hunted by your kind. Oh, yes, I forgot to mention. My sister is a hybrid vampire, who was lucky with inheritance. The person who gave me the gift is considered my parent in our society." Damon added at Ion's confused look. "My blood father and female forest nymph gave birth to a child. The little girl possessed the wings of the Old Vampire, but none of the other negative traits. She was allowed to live because her mother was not a vampire. She is weak to light but not nearly as bad as most. She needs blood just as any of us, and her senses are enhanced. She has almost all of the characteristics of a new vampire, but with wings and able to walk in the light. She is an outcast among us because of her differences. I do not treat her badly, but others do not think she should be accepted here." Damon looked a little concerned.

'That is horrible," Ion said with a sigh. "I'm sorry about before. I had no choice."

"I understand, Ion." Damon smiled. "I didn't expect you to be so good with your wand though."

"It isn't mine, I lent it form Dumbledore. The wand shop in Diagon Ally is closed, so I haven't been able to get a proper wand."

"Olivander's Wands is a pathetic shop. He doesn't have true personal wands but rather generically cored sticks. There are placed in Knockturn Ally where you could find a better wand. They will cost a fair bit more, but they are worth it."

"I have a bit of gold left; I think I may be able to afford it. But, where do I go for it?" Ion asked with a curious look.

"I think I may be able to bring you there; when would you be able to go?" Damon asked.

"Only around this time but any night is good."

"We could go tomorrow night, if you want."

"Could we go tonight? Ion asked eagerly.

"Yeah, but I must tell my sister I will be out. If you are willing to venture deep into the forest to my clan's territory then we could go. The trip should be safe; these areas are a lot safer than most people think." Damon got up swiftly.

_'Accio Coin bag.' _The bag sped from Ion's window into his hands. "Let's go get my wand." Ion willed the ring to grant him the full set of enhanced senses. He shut the light from his wand off and followed Damon. They walked for nearly a half an hour in the progressively thicker forest. They reached an area that had a large tent pitched.

"This is where my sister and I stay during the summers. She chooses to be this close because they clan isn't very welcoming to her. The main clan territory is a small village with very nice homes. You may not know this about the forest, but it is huge. It is magically expanded. Just like the wizard's tents the forest is much larger than it seems from the outside. Where is this girl?" Damon asked annoyed.

"I hear someone in the trees about fifty feet away."

"You can hear that far? That is very impressive. That is probably her. Lucine!" he yelled in the distance. Ion heard her movements drawing nearer.

"She is coming." Damon looked impressed by Ion's skills.

"I know you have magically enhanced senses, but that still doesn't make it easy to interpret the sounds; it is impressive." Damon looked Ion in the eyes.

"What's up Damon? Who is the human?" the girl asked slightly shyly.

"I am going into London for a little while, so don't alert anyone to my disappearance. And, this is Ion, a friend of mine." Ion smiled at the odd looking girl. She was dressed simple enough, with a normal skirt and tank top blouse, but she was anything but normal. From her back, two wings bat-like wings were folded. The visible parts of her skin were marked with intricate tribal symbol and patterns. Her hair was silky and black, which flowed down to the middle of her torso.

"Fine, but be careful, please," she pleaded.

"No problem." Damon walked away into the forest, and Ion hesitantly followed.

"Bye, Lucine. Nice meeting you," Ion said quietly.

"Goodbye, Ion." Her face was seemed slightly sad, but she managed a full smile. Ion caught up with Damon quickly.

"How are we going to get there?"

"I will transport us there. Vampires can travel quickly similar to apparition, but we rely on it being night and it can only be from shadows to shadows. It can easily be blocked, by simple charms unlike apparition." Damon grabber Ion's arm and they traveled quickly through the shadows. To Ion the sensation was similar to apparition but more uncomfortable. They reached Knockturn Alley to find it more active than during the day.

Damon led Ion through the ally and stopped in front of a small shop. The shop was empty except for a tall man in black robes—his face was completely covered. "This is the man who will make your wand. Don't ask him his name or to take of his hood; trust me about this."

Ion walked to the man and said, "I am here to purchase a personalized wand; can you help me?"

"Yes," a deep voice answered. "I must cast a spell on you first. This spell will give me the proper list of cores to use." The man pulled out his wand and pointed it at Ion. Ion flinched but did not back down. A white stream of smoke slowly went from the man's wand to Ion's chest. The smoky link changed colors rapidly for a minute and then returned to the wand. The hooded man tapped the wand against a piece of parchment. The parchment instantly was filled with writing, which Ion could not see. "Return in one hour. It will cost you forty Galleons." The hooded man left to a room in the back, while Ion returned to Damon.

"I only have thirty Galleons." Ion looked slightly upset.

"Here you can have some of mine." Damon gave Ion a handful of twenty gold coins. After some debate Ion decided to accept the money. They left the shop to go get a drink at a local pub. The pub was dark and damp, but the food and drinks were great. Damon and Ion sat in a dark corner eating their food. "So Ion, where are you from, and why are you at the school during the summer?" Damon asked quietly.

"I am undergoing training, in order to be placed in the upper years of Hogwarts. I am from an orphanage in London. "Ion finished with a look that said he couldn't say anymore. Damon understood and did not question further. "What is your story?"

"I was once a wizard, who lived generations ago. I accepted the gift and joined the Forest Clan. My life has no great story to it," Damon said quietly. "I think we should go get you wand now." Damon paid and they left. They walked to the shop slowly and entered. The hooded man was coming from the back with a wand in his hand. The wand wood was gray with streaks of blue. The entire wand had a nice shine to it. The man put the wand on the table and stepped back.

"I put several cores into the wand. They are basilisk fang, griffin claw, unicorn blood, and dragon fang. These items are all ideal to your abilities and personality, which makes the wand basically useless in anyone else's hands." The hooded figure left the room. Ion and Damon left the store.

"I think we should head back now." Damon walked to a shadow and grabbed Ion's arm. They appeared in the forest at his tent. Ion had to will the ring to enhance his abilities once again. Lucine sat on a stump with her wings more out stretched than previously when they appeared. When she saw them, she looked at Ion and folded them close to her body again. "Well that was an interesting trip. Don't tell Dumbledore I brought you there or anything; he would be furious. So it is best to not use the wand for now until you can say you bought it yourself. Do you need me to walk you back to the school?"

"I could make it back on my own, but I just mind wander around for a while; I don't feel like returning just yet," Ion said rather bored.

"You can stay here for a while if you want," Damon said. Ion moved to a soft spot on the ground and sat down.

"So what did you boys get from the city?" She said, looking at the moon.

"We got food and a wand." He pulled out his wand and showed it to the girl. She looked at the wand and then Ion deeply. Her face was unreadable except for the fact she was scrutinizing him; Ion's face was also completely unreadable.

"How are you able to see so clearly in the darkness?" she asked suspiciously.

"I have an enchanted item that grants me that ability," Ion said coolly. She looked at the boy again, and then turned her head away. Ion could not tell if she disliked him, or she was shy around him. She was better at hiding her emotions that he was. When Ion saw Damon he had a smile on his face. Damon was skilled at understanding body language and emotions better than most other creatures in existence—it was his job.

"Ion, what exactly is that item?" Damon asked.

"It is this silver ring." He raised his finger in the air to show him.

"Where did you get it?" Damon looked slightly curious.

"It was sold from a shop in Knockturn Alley. It cost way too much for me to buy, but this morning a package came with it and another item inside. They were the things I was looking at in the store. It wasn't the shop keeper because there was a receipt with it."

"What other item?" Lucine asked softly. Ion pulled out the dagger and showed it to them. They eyed it very suspiciously. "It is pure silver, so you may not want to get too close. I know that you are weak against silver. The dagger has the power to lethally poison anyone that I cut; it also, can create wounds that cannot be healed easily."

"You must be careful with that. It is a tool to kill; many people will think you are planning to kill if you have that." Damon looked serious. Ion put the blade away. "Who would give you that?"

"I have absolutely no idea. Not many people are even aware of my existence." Ion looked to be in deep thought. "I guess I will have to wait and find out; the person is most likely going to contact me again."

"Please be careful. Those objects are dark; whoever would give those to a teenager, is not going to be the most good of people," Lucine said, in a small voice. Ion agreed. They sat in the dark for a while and watched the moon travel a small distance in the sky.

"I will go now. I look forward to meeting with you both again. Bye." Ion got up and walked into the woods. He was tired and he knew that he would need some sleep before morning. He walked in the forest that seemed very tranquil. He walked until he heard an odd sound. There was a hissing in the wind, but it sounded like it spoke some unrecognizable words. The leaves were too loud to hear the distant whisper; Ion focused on his hearing and only heard the leaves and wind. He knew that the sound probably came from a snake, but the way he interpreted the sound was due to his lack of sleep. He snuck into the castle and immediately went to sleep, preparing for the next day of hard work and tedium.

_**Most people do not continue reading past the first chapter. To those who have made it this far: Thanks a lot! And, don't be afraid to REVIEW.**_


	7. A Weapon A Friend A Wand

Chapter Seven: A Weapon A Friend A Wand

The gray wand with blue streaks laid silently near Ion's bed; it awaited the trials of the next day with eager zeal. The wand, an extension of Ion now, shared his feelings of desire—desire to reach greatness, to become his own person. The young boy turned quietly in his sleep; the next day's long training impending. The morning came. Ion quickly prepared for the training of the day, and eventually strutted to Dumbledore's office where the final sessions of his rather difficult training began. He went up the staircase and finally went through the large doors of the office.

"Good morning professor," Ion yawned.

"Hello, Ion," the man seemed amused at the disheveled look of the boy. "We have some interesting matters to discuss before we begin your training."

"Oh, anything very serious?"

"Serious? Oh my, yes. It is very serious indeed, but you need not worry much at all." The man looked at Ion with amusement because Ion's face became rather stolid fast. "I have scheduled your O.W.L's for one week from today. I am very sorry I couldn't give you more time but, the grading commission needs time to evaluate your scores in time for class to being."

"Oh. So we will be training for the rest of the week then?" Ion asked.

"Well, we will be finished with the rest of the material you need to know in roughly two days. After that I urge you to study whatever you feel you would need for the test, use your discretion. " A smile began to creep along the old man's face. "In addition, and of course this decisions is entirely up to you, Harry Potter has inherited an island, and he has approved of you residing there for the rest of the time you have left until school. You may also stay there while you study any loose ends for the tests."

"How was that suggestion brought up?"

"Well, I thought it would be incredibly beneficial for you and Harry. He is currently recovering from some rather traumatic events, and you have been training alone for what must seem like months. It would be nice if you got some sun and human interaction." The old man looked rather sad at Ion.

"I guess I will go. But, will he mind too much?"

"I doubt he will mind in the slightest."

The training continued along as usual; Ion using the Pensieve and training with Dumbledore. As usual he returned to the room of requirement to master everything he had learned. He decided to not use his new wand until he thoroughly tested it. Eventually, the final day of his training arrived. After his Time-Turner training that night in the room of requirement he would be heading to the castle, where he would dwell for the remainder of his summer.

'So this is the last time I will be in this castle for a while. And I won't ever have these sessions ever again, I guess that's good. Well, I guess it's time to test this thing out.' Ion's hand gripped the wand tightly and caressed it softly. The ash-like wand's cobalt blue streaks shimmered in the dull light of the room. The wand in his hands simply emanated power; the blue streaks seemed to produce light from the various cores.

'I need a place to test the wand to the fullest.' The woods that the room took place for Ion's usual training simply froze in time. Time, in that room, that moment seemed to stop completely in its tracks. The room seemed to be a statuesque sea of leaves frozen in mid-air. Then everything in the room seemed to glow slightly gray. Suddenly the room seemed rapidly become completely blindingly white. Then with zero warning, blackness. Alone in the cool crisp void, panic had yet to set in on the boy. Then with a forceful jerk and Ion seemed to fall onto a new platform, but he color has not revealed itself. Then as a sunrise would, a dim view appeared that quickly laminated to full luminosity. It was a vast expanse of grasslands; riddled with targets and dummies—a sea of dummies as far as the eye can see.

A small smile crossing his lips, Ion raised his wand and felt a surge of power flow through his body. The wand seemed to be a part of him rather than a simple tool used for his benefit. With violent flick of the wand, an incredible stream of fire exploded from the wand onto a near target. The metal target was completely melted down in a matter of seconds. Without extinguishing the fire from the tip of his wand and an additional flick of the wand, the fire morphed into a thick whip of angry flames. The flames crossed numerous wooden dummies with a single swipe—consuming them with the hungry flames. After leveling nearly one hundred wooden dummies, he began ending a barrage of spells at the distant targets—targets that were so far they looked like tiny dots in the distance, but with his ring they seemed close enough to demolish with ease.

In the distance he spotted a series of boulders increasing in size—the largest seemed like a rather small mountain than boulder. Ion began levitating the boulders in increasing order, most with incredible ease. The gigantic boulders rocketed into the air, until he reached the extra large boulders. These seemed to not budge with all of his initial attempts; then, with some focus he tried to bring the full potential of his wand out. Closing his eyes and focusing on the goal, his wand seemed to understand what needed to be done, with a struggle the largest boulder rose a few feet off of the ground. With a swish of the wand it moved higher into the sky but descended after reaching only roughly fifty feet from the ground. Then as if to add insult to injury, a loud shout of Reductor Curse the sky began to rain tiny dust-like fragments of the boulder.

The boy went for hours leveling what seemed to be miles of dummies, targets, and boulders. Rather exhausted, he used the Time Turner and returned to his room for a great night's sleep. The thought about leaving the castle and going to an island owned by the boy, who his father has vowed to destroy. It promised to be an interesting future.

"My things are packed; when are we going?" Ion asked the tall brightly robed man.

"We shall be leaving right now, Ion." The man pulled out an old boot and tapped his wand to it. "Touch the shoe and we shall be off." Never traveling by Portkey, Ion was unaccustomed to the strange feeling in his navel and he felt disgusted after landing on the great island.

"Holy hell…" escaped Ion's mouth as he took in the great island. The island was very large; it has a great forest of odd looking trees. A strange tingling feeling went up Ion's spine as he took in the sweet air of the island that was rich with the fragrances of the trees. "Do you feel that?"

"Very perceptive. Yes, it is the trees. They are wand trees; they possess a fair bit of magic to them. But, I assure you it is nothing to be alarmed of; you will be used to the sensation very soon." Surely, Ion quickly got used to the feeling and continued to walk up the path to the large castle protruding from the trees. "This island is protected by incredibly powerful charms and devices; it is not as strong as Hogwart's, of course. So you should be able to completely relax here without any dangers."

"That's…nice." They walked to the large door of the castle and Dumbledore knocked loudly. A moment later the door opened widely to show Harry Potter looking out toward the guests.

"Hello Professor, hi Ion." Harry showed them through to the main living room which was huge and ornamental. After very little talk Dumbledore left and Harry showed Ion to his room. It was a large room similar to the room in Hogwarts.

"Thanks, Harry."

"It's no problem, I am the Lord of the Castle, remember." Harry said with a small smirk. The thought of him being the lord of anything seemed rather funny, especially since the past few years he had spend summers in a relative hell-hole.

"Not that, I mean letting me in your home. You didn't have to; you barely know me and I feel like I am intruding. Seriously, I really hope I am not unwelcomed," Ion said rather uncomfortably.

Harry looking equally as uncomfortable said, "It's okay. We are a lot alike I guess. We both come from nothing, but magic sort of 'saved' us from a dismal life. Plus, Dumbledore approves of you, so I do too." Ion just smiled as he brought his luggage into the room with his wand.

"Hey! Harry!"

"Hey." Harry said with a small smirk after running backwards to the door way to Ion's room.

"Who is here?" Ion looked genuinely curious.

"Okay, let's see. Me, you, Ron, Ginny, Molly, their mother, Hermione is coming later tonight, and order members come and go because this is the new headquarters."

"Order?" Ion looked rather intrigued.

"Oh, you don't know about that? Well, it is a group that Dumbledore leads, whose goal is to defeat the Death Eaters. I am sorry, but I can't tell you anymore, because its top secret and they don't even tell me most of it."

"I see. I guess I won't be hearing any of that news anytime soon. But, it seems like a foolish move on Dumbledore's part to put me, of all people, here in his headquarters." Ion said mostly to himself.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked concerned.

"Oh he knows very little about me, it just seems like it would be risky." Ion smiled a little.

"Yeah, Dumbledore is a good judge of character, and he trusts people." They shared a couple more short words and Ion began unpacking his luggage. After a short time of unpacking his things, Harry returned to Ion's room. Harry asked Ion if he would like a tour of the house. The two boys walked through the castle and Harry showed him most of the rooms.

"Where is Ron, and his sister?"

"They are around with their mother, which you will be meeting very shortly." After Ion's look of concern Harry quickly added, "It's almost lunch time. And Hermione will be here a few hours before dinner, so you have time to catch up with her. Well, I think we should head to the kitchen, I am starved." The two boys walked to the kitchen to enjoy a large lunch. "Before we get into the kitchen I have some important advice; don't look too surprised by the sea of red hair that will be there when you walk in," Harry said with a smirk.

They both walked into the kitchen to find: Mrs. Weasley near the stove, Ginny helping her mother, Ron sitting at the table looking extremely famished, while he asked when the food would be done—by the looks of the women when they replied, it hadn't been the first time he asked, Tonks, Ions and Harry's previous guard, with bright red hair looking amused at Ron's blight. Ion greeted the people he knew kindly—he was actually very happy to see them, even Ron. Ion had been so lonely recently he seemed to appreciate friendly faces. Harry introduced Ion to Mrs. Weasley who gave him an odd look initially, then smiled and said hello. Harry noticed her lapse in kindness and found it to be quite odd.

The group ate the fantastic lunch Mrs. Weasley made; Ion was used to the school food, which was fantastic, but her food had a more homely feel to it—a feeling Ion enjoyed. "So, can you or Harry give me some tips for my battle coming up next week?" Ion asked Ron.

"Battle?" Ron asked with his mouth full, which granted him a reproachful look from his mother.

"O.W.Ls, I am taking them next week."

"What!? Next week? Why aren't you studying, or freaking out?" Ron asked again with his mouth full.

"Well, it isn't that big of a deal is it? Dumbledore told men to not worry about it." Ion seemed rather confused.

'The man's gone nutters he has, its super important," Ron said with an empty mouth this time.

Ginny broke in, "Well, if Dumbledore told him not to worry about it, maybe he thinks Ion is well prepared already," she looked at her mother for an opinion.

"Well boys, the test is very important. I don't think Ion should have an attack about it like Ron suggests, but you shouldn't take it too lightly; don't get lured into a false sense of security. Hermione will be arriving earlier than expected so she may be able to put you through a routine to see what you need to improve on." She smiled at the boy and continued eating.

"That seems to be the most logical idea, thank you."

"Not a problem, dear. Well, I am going to go to Harry's large garden; it is in shambles; I believe I will plant some things. You all may join me later if you wish," Mrs. Weasley told the boys pleasantly.

"Actually, we were planning on going back there to fly for a bit. So we will be out there," Harry answered. "Ion would you like Ron and me to show you how to fly a bit?"

"Can't say that I do. It seems kind of unpleasant, honestly. But, thanks for the offer, I will go out there with you all, though," Ion said plainly.

"Well if you change your mind about flying, we will be glad to help." This time Ron made the kind gesture. The younger students remained in the kitchen lounging about and eating slowly, discussing O.W.Ls for Ion and Ginny's benefit. The group decided to explore the island and try to discover anything interesting. They searched the grounds and found nothing of any importance but, Harry remembered all of the grounds—something he thought was very useful in case of emergencies. After slightly over an hour of exploring, they returned to the castle to greet Hermione, who had just arrived to spend the remainder of her vacation.

The girls gave each other a quite loud greeting, while she gave a hug to all the boys. "Hermione, Ion is taking O.W.Ls in a week; what do you think about that?" Her face seemed to freeze for a moment then change to a serious stare very quickly.

"Why are you out here and not studying!?" Ron laughed quietly behind her back so only Harry and Ion could see. "Come on!" She grabbed his shirt sleeve and dragged him to where her books were packed, the others followed amused. Hermione gathered a large stack of books and began searching for something. She pulled out a note book that seemed very old and worn down. "I originally saved this for Ginny, but you can give it to her after you're done. It is a notebook of all the things you definitely need to know for the test, with some things that you may not need. Come on we will help you and Ginny study. Right Harry… Ron?" she asked rather sternly.

They both answered simultaneously similar to how they answered Professor McGonagall, which made them pass amused glances at each other. Hermione tested Ion and Ginny on everything they needed to know for hours. Harry and Ron were exhausted; they were on the floor pretending to be dead. Hermione made a list of all the weak points of both of her pupils. Ginny's list consisted of nearly everything covered in fifth year, while Ion's list had barely anything but a few spells that they learned to have just in case.

"Ginny, it seems you just need to learn everything from fifth year, and you are set. It is really impressive you remembered everything since first year. Ion, I am shocked, you need to learn some spells that we learned for special situations, which are pretty advanced, but we can help you. Actually let's do them right—"

"Hermione! I am hungry and tired! Please let the man relax," Ron yelled from the floor where he seemed very comfortable.

"You guys can go ahead, this won't take very long at all. I just want to teach him a few easy spells and the Patronis, which I should be able to teach. If only Harry could teach him, it would only take a few more moments of his time," she seemed sad.

"I am not a fool Hermione; you do not have to guilt me into doing it. I am head of the DA." After explaining what the DA was, Harry taught the Patronis Charm to Ion. After a few attempts he finally made a fully shaped conjuration, which took the shape of a serpentine dragon. After much enthusiastic discussion about their Patroni, they ate dinner, which was fantastic.

"You lot didn't come out in the garden, where were you?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

"Hurricane Hermione hit, and she brought books!" Ron said pseudo-annoyed. "She made Ion and Ginny test what they were good at for hours."

"That's good. Any good news?" Mrs. Weasley asked Hermione.

"Yes Ginny seems completely knowledgeable in everything but fifth year material, while Ion seems comfortable with everything." She made a prolonged glance at Ion and returned her eyes to Mrs. Weasley. After they finished eating they all played various games, and with some of Fred and George's store items. They talked about how the Twins had such a success on their hands with the store. They decided to visit them within a few days, pending on the approval of the Elders—the order and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.

Suddenly, soon after dinner completed, Harry fell to the floor directly from his chair, screaming in agony—clutching his scar. The group alerted Dumbledore and brought Harry to his room—The Lord's Chambers.

"My Lord. I have arrived for the report," the dark-haired Bellatrix said while leaning down. She felt confident in a way, she thought she could possible please him the information she worked so dearly to get. On her knees she gave a glance up at the pale figure and returned her head to the floor.

The tall man in the chair covered in dark robes looked down, apparently frustrated with the stream of dismal news. Report after report giving bad news. Each as useless as the other, he began to get incredibly frustrated about these extremely difficult problems. 'It is one thing to fight an enemy who knows you are after them, it is one thing to fight an enemy you have seen or at least know what they look like. But, it is another thing to walk blindly on this Earth and search for an enemy I have never seen! It is another thing to search for an enemy nobody can identify. An enemy that seems to have no shape, no identity, but just exists to IRK ME! The damn bastard! Sneaking around the world leaving no traces no clues, except destruction. This damn thing kills the people before I can get to them, destroys building before I can search them. When I stop this thing, I will finally be able to handle my other goals. But, this takes priority over everything; so much rests in the hands of my enemies. That damn bastard and his damn Brotherhood! I bet they don't even know I am after them. That may be my only advantage.' The man's mind raced with anger, frustration and ways to outsmart this unseen enemy.

"Yes Bella? Please bring me good news. I have received noting but pathetic results. I thought I had an elite group of dedicated servants, but it seems I have a bunch of children that only consume my precious PATIENCE." He moved forward with incredible speed, grabbed her arm, and placed his wand upon her mark. The screams of various nearby Death Eaters could be heard. The man held the wand there for moments, letting his anger flood into the woman's arms from the tip of his wand. The various Death Eaters understood they were being punished for failing in fulfilling his requests. He let her arm go and returned to her seat; she seemed very ill but she returned to a faithful position kneeling before him.

"My Lord, I believe I may have some good news." The woman shuttered as she felt the man's eyes drilling into the back of her skull.

"What is it Bella?" he asked coldly, refusing to allow any hope in his quest.

"He has one. I have verified it. I was lead to a small town by word about the specific object. The one who held the item was murdered, and the item was stolen. Nobody in the town could give a description of the group responsible. It seems the person is a master of blending in a—" the man stood up and grabbed her by the throat.

"Bella, you said good news. This is by far the worst news yet. That means he is two ahead of me." He threw the woman down to the floor and sat back down. "Any other good news I should prepare for?"

"I'm sorry My Lord, I was nervous forgive me for the misunderstanding." She gulped and returned to her faithful position. She reached her hand inside her robes and removed small round object glowing neon purple. She offered it to the man in his seat, which he slowly reached out for and grasped.

He held the small round ball, roughly the size of a snitch, in his hand. He simple just gazed at it for a moment. "This is good Bella, this is good. I am very pleased with you, very pleased indeed. Please continue your story." The man seemed incredible happy now, much happier than seen in a very long time.

The woman on the ground felt completely elated now. "Yes, of course. As I viewed the remains of the home I encountered an old collector of objects. He too was searching the remains. We talked about the incident, and eventually he revealed that he was in search a small orb that the person who owned the building possessed. He was searching the ruins of the building to see if it had survived. I convinced him to show it to me, and then I destroyed the house similar to devastation of His work and took the orb."

"Good Bella, good. That means there is no way to trace it back to us now. I am very proud, Thank you. You may leave if you wish."

"May I stay and assist my Lord any way here?" She looked up to him with hopeful eyes. She seemed rather eager to win his favor.

"You may stay Bella, yes you may stay."


	8. The Battle of the OWLs

Chapter Eight: The Battle of the OWLs

The infernal whip lashed down repeatedly either being deflected or dodged. The flames thrashed the ground, leaving hellish scorch marks. The flame whip quickly became a shield as a barrage of red and orange spells forced him back in temporary retreat—the shield overpowered each spell magnificently. A lightning fast dodge and the shield became a barrage of red and orange spells similar to his advisory. Though the enemy seemed impervious to the futile attempts, the old man's shield absorbed each spell—growing darker with each additional spell taken. Ion's barrage of spells stopped abruptly, perplexed, he summoned a whip of wild flames, unlike the previous whip. This whip was a wild scatter of red-orange flames, as compared to the structured whip previously. This whip bent around the shield and appeared to consume the shield momentarily. But, the shield stood strong covering Dumbledore in a blood red sphere; Ion then began prowling around the man waiting, searching for a weak spot. Suddenly, the man behind the red shield seemed to be covered by a light gold shield and the red shield exploded. In a cascade of black and red flames Ion's body was entirely engulfed. After the dust and debris cleared, both men stood covered in a thin gold magical shield.

"Wow, what was that? I thought I had you." Ion was covered in dirt and debris.

"That was magic that most wizards never see in their lifetime. The red shield was simply your energy. You see it protects me while absorbing all of the spells you send toward me. Each spell you send to me makes the shield stronger, but if I choose to do so I can rapidly release the energy held in the shield out, resulting in that beautiful explosion. Usually such a spell wouldn't absorb so much, but your spells are so strong and plentiful, you gave me a perfect weapon. The golden shield I covered us both with, was actually part of the red shield. The user of that shield has the power to redirect the energy where he sees fit. I sent some energy to shield us both, while sending much of the energy to create this wonderful crater here." Dumbledore stood in a large hole in the ground where his shield once was.

"Where do I learn such a spell?" Ion asked quickly, seeing the potential in such a powerful spell.

"You will learn it when you are ready. I learned this spell over my years of traveling, reading, researching, and I cannot teach you. You see, it wouldn't be fair to you. It is one thing to be taught a spell, but it is another to learn a spell on one's own accord, thus appreciating the finer points." The man smiled at the slightly hurt boy.

"I understand. I need to learn myself or else I won't appreciate and respect the work and power behind it, but I still think that is a great spell that would suit me well." The boy smiled at the old man and proceeded to use the wand to clean himself off.

"On a side note, Ion. I only used such a spell on you because it was the only way to beat you. Honestly, my skills in basic fifth year magic is not as skilled as yours. Not to say that is the only reason because you gave me a workout, my boy. There were a couple of close calls, where I almost blocked one of your various spells with my face. Very impressive; you will be much stronger once you learn more specialized magic." The man told the boy. But, in the man's head he had a slightly different tone. 'The boy is so strong. It won't be long until it will become a real problem to fight him, similar to his father he possesses the natural talent for magic, but I hope he doesn't have the natural alignment for destruction. Once he learns more powerful magic, his dueling will become a force not to be reckoned with—a potential replacement for his father, a new worse wave of fury. But, I am sure he is different, he doesn't seem to lean to destruction for comfort. I am confident he will not be like Him.'

"Well it's time for the test. I am sure I will do well, Hermione instructed me."

"Well, Ion I wish you luck. You do not need it, I assure you. But, when it comes to the Defence Against the Dark Arts, if they make you duel, don't hurt anyone—not everyone is as proficient at dueling as I am." The man winked at the boy, removed a small yellow piece of candy and offered it to Ion.

"No, thank you, Professor."

"It's the Portkey. So I think this piece of candy might be useful to you. "Ion took the piece of candy and was sent to a room filled with a number of witches and wizards never seen before. Outside the room, Dumbledore appeared, waiting to have a firsthand view of the testing procedure. 'With that last bit of training before the tests, I hope he became comfortable with his magic more.'

Ion planned on using the wand Dumbledore gave him because he was not supposed to have it just yet, and he had learned all of his magic with that wand; it wouldn't be smart to change what worked on such an important occasion. Standing in the room he felt ready, and he welcomed all challengers. The oldest man of the line of people stepped forward with a long piece of parchment.

The dreadfully old man walked forward with the parchment in hand. He began reading from the parchment as the anticipation for his voice to cut the air, built in Ion. The old man greeted Ion with a soft nasally voice; the voice was gentle and non-threatening. "We will be testing you today in various subjects, as you are well aware of. The tests today will be modified from the standard tests given to normal students. They are shorter, but as a result we made them more difficult. Do not worry; it will measure your abilities just as well as the standard test. Now, we have prepared your tests and you will be finished by the end of the day. Please sign this paper agreeing to the terms stated here." The man moved forward and handed ion the paper and quill, which did not require ink.

The man stepped back into the line and another less ancient man stepped forward. "I will be administering the Potions portions of the exam. Please sit down and take this written portion, you have twenty minutes." The man stepped showed Ion to a seat that stood directly across a line of other seats where they would be sitting. He placed the quill on the table along with a rolled piece of parchment. Ion quickly sat down and began taking the test. The written portion seemed rather easy for Ion; he believed he knew everything entirely.

"Please follow me into the other room where we shall begin the practical assessment." They both walked into a room not too far from the seat. They entered a room filled with ingredients and potion making equipments. "Your task is simple really, but very challenging. You must create three potions. Two must be entirely different poisons, but you must make an antidote that will cure either. You have forty five minutes. Any questions?" Ion ignored the man's question and scrambled for ingredients.

Grabbing handfuls of ingredients Ion managed to gather enough ingredients for a number of potions, but he needed to be precise in creating the specific potions. He began separating ingredients on the table to make two different poisons. He decided to keep the poisons as simple as possible, but fatal poisons seldom are easy to make. He tried to quickly think how one would go about completing this task he still had forty minutes. 'I can't make two distinct poisons because they don't really have similar antidotes. But I can make poisons with the same kill method and an antidote that counters that. Okay, I have the ingredients for a blood coagulant, and I can make the second poisons kill with blood coagulation but with a different main ingredient. The antidote would be a simple blood thinner of the slightly less magnitude of the poison. It is funny, the antidote could also kill, but I don't see any other way right now.' Ion thought fast coming up with an exact plan and making the base for each potion—each somewhat different. Then he built on top of the potions slowly making each highly potent for its purpose. Building all three at the same time bought him a large amount of time and finished with twenty minutes to spare.

The examiner walked to Ion and asked, "Are you finished? Are these flasks your results?"

"Uh, yes. I finished early."

"Good the sooner you finish each test, the sooner we all get to go home." The man took the marked flasks and they walked out of the room, where the next tester awaited.

"Hello, Ion. It is time to begin your Defence Against the Dark Arts exam. Take the written portion now and alert me when you are finished; you have twenty minutes." Ion quickly finished the test; it simply tested his knowledge of counter spells and spell functions. "Please follow me into this room. Your practical examination will begin." They walked into another room where targets, dummies, and other strange objects stood. The room was large and well lit. "Now, you have multiple tasks from me today. First, you must demonstrate your ability to hit targets, and then you will be fighting a few dark creatures. Now please hit all of the dummies and targets in the room, you will be judged on your speed, accuracy, and the spell you use. Feel free to use any advanced spells you know."

Ion began unleashing barrages of flames from his wand. He released powerful fireballs at various targets, and then suddenly started shooting Reducter Curses at various objects. Some targets were so small they were very difficult to hit, but using his dragon ring, he was able to hit them perfectly. Then he started hitting the dummies with his flame whip. He sliced dummies in half, crushed them completely with the more wild whip, and often changing spells for a variety of destruction. He destroyed the mass amount of targets in just a couple of minutes.

"Very impressive. Those tiny targets all the way in the back of the room weren't meant to be hit in one try. They were meant to take multiple attempts, good show. But, now it is time for you to combat some dark creatures. You have fifteen minutes to defeat all of them." The man walked up a set of stairs that disappeared behind him, where he was now protected from the battlefield. Suddenly with a glow about 10 feet in front of him a large blast-ended skrewt appear before him. The large pincers of the creature began to slowly open as the creature lowered its front to the ground. Ion instantly knew what was coming. The grotesque monster was propelled forward by the large explosions from its posterior region, thus propelling the large pincers directly in the region of Ion's face. Though, he was too fast and moved long out of the way, and he began launching spells at the creature. The armor of the creature seemed to resists magic very strongly, but he continued launching spells. Then he summoned his trusted whip once more, in attempts to destroy the beast. First, he lashed at the creature's leg. The initial strike seemed to just anger the beast, but Ion then used the whip to completely entangle the skrewt's legs. Then with a little focus, he increased the temperature in the whip's flames to scorching magnitudes. The whip seemed to become incredibly bright—almost as bright as the sun. Ion felt the heat brush against his face violently, as he turned away from the blinding light. He released the spell as soon as he heard a large thud hit the floor. The large creature struggled to stand upright, but all of its right legs were completely singed off. Ion quickly gathered his wits, in order to take the creature out of its misery. Then he moved closer to where the armor had been weakened by his incredible spell and launched a barrage of stunning spells, until the large creature stopped moving completely. Then lowering himself dangerously close to the monster he touched his wand where the creature's head should have been. He focused for a moment and yelled, "Reducto!" The monster then had a hole blasted completely through its thick shell; the creature then disappeared.

"Very nicely done, but there are more. You have roughly twelve minutes left." Again with a glow something began to appear in the middle of the room. A large dog-like beast appeared, and without any warning at all, it began to attack ferociously. The creature seemed to be a combination of a wolf and a warthog; it had large dangerous looking tusks protruding out of its nose, while the wolf-like mouth contained a plethora of too sharp teeth.

'What the hell is that thing!?' He thought to himself as he tried to outsmart it and buy himself some time. Understanding it did not have any tough armor, he knew it could be killed easily, but it just didn't cease in its attack for a moment to allow him to think of a plan. Dodging a flying leap from the beast, Ion pointed his wand at the floor and coated it with ice. Then as the wolf-like creature slid uncontrollably toward the wall, he summoned deadly and ragged looking spikes for the creature to impale itself on. Seeing the dangers ahead of it, the wolf-creature began flailing like mad to stop its slide. Ion saw this and quickly raised his wand. He summoned large shards of ice in front of him that grew very quickly; then he sent them speeding toward the beast with the message of death. The shards made contact and quickly stopped the monster's struggling on the ice, and a second later the creature made contact with the large metal spikes he had initially summoned.

Predicting correctly, Ion prepared for another creature to appear in the room. With the glow, a large spider appeared—a spider taller than Ion. The spider did not attack suddenly like the other creatures it simply backed away slowly, seemingly plotting against the boy. Ion also stared at the large arachnid, judging the strength of it. The spider couldn't be avoided like the other two, it was too wide and large, it wasn't slow because of its many legs, and the web could cause untold problems for him. 'I guess, I can take care of it the same way I did the skrewt.' Ion walked forward and began the attack. The spider then moved back even farther, a long thirty five feet separated them, so Ion began to run at the spider with his wand at the ready. But then, without any prediction of what was about to happen, Ion fell straight forward. He tried to get up but something was keeping him down; the spider had made an entire labyrinth of invisible webbing on the floor so he could fall into them. 'DAMN!' He tried to move his wand arm but it was set in completely. 'Shit! Shit!' He looked for where the spider was but he couldn't see; it seemed to have disappeared. Then he heard it behind him. Without hesitation, Ion braced himself and pointed his wand at the floor. He unleashed a burst of mild flames that engulfed the floor. He was a safe distance from the flame, but when the webs snapped from heat he would be plunged into the fires. Quickly the webs snapped and he shielded himself with lightning speed and landed in the flames. With the full body shield on, he engulfed his body in more flames thus repelling the spider. He relinquished both the shield and the flames once the spider had gone. He still had ten minutes, but he did not want this battle to last any longer for fear of making another mistake. The spider then darted forward with incredible speed—it had the sole intention of making Ion its meal. But, in a final great act, Ion covered the spider in a great shield. Ion also then repelled the large spider in its ball with a Reducter Curse. Thinking quickly, Ion made the shield smaller, thus disabling the spider's ability to move. He walked closer to the large glowing ball and opened a small hole in the shield. He inserted his wand and filled the sphere with water. Within a few minutes, the spider had drowned and the test was over.

"Oh my! That was a wonderful show of skill and power. I am very impressed. I am sorry if the danger seemed real, but if you were about to be harmed, the creature would have stopped right before any damage had been inflicted. I am usually not allowed to do this, but you will definitely be getting a wonderful score on this section, absolutely spectacular." They returned to the great room, where the next examiner continued the cycle. Ion took all of his O.W.Ls with time to spare on all.

"Hello, Ion! Wonderful performance!" Dumbledore said while entering the room after his final test. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yes! But, you saw my testing?"

"Let's go." They walked out of the room and prepared to Portkey back to the island. "Yes, I was watching to make sure the testing was fair and done properly. Some of the tests did seem very difficult, the portion for the Defence Against the Dark Arts, specifically. But, you seemed to be able to handle it properly so I allowed it to continue. " They both used the Portkey, which took the form of a cup. They ended up outside the mansion. "Go on in and relax, Ion. There is little left of you summer, go enjoy it."

Ion entered and went straight to his bedroom. He jumped on his bed and slept—he didn't even bother to fuss with his clothes or his covers.

The next morning came and Ion woke at six o'clock in the morning to find Hermione at the foot of his bed sleeping. He looked quizzically at her then got up out of bed. Somebody had placed covers on him, which he struggled to get off without her waking. He moved slowly to her and whispered in her ear, "Hermione… wake up." She stirred and then began to wake up.

"Oh you're up!" She jumped up out of bed looking thoroughly embarrassed. "Sorry I fell asleep here. Ha Ha… I was waiting for you to get up. I was very curious to hear about the testing from you. Dumbledore told us a fantastic tale, but it seemed rather one sided." She smiled nervously at the boy.

"Tell me what he told you." She told him exactly what Dumbledore said almost word for word. "Well that's sort of what happened, I am not too sure; it was very hard to remember what was going on when I was in so much danger. So many things were going on. But, overall yea that's what happened. It was pretty invigorating now that I look back on it; I never experienced this much high intensity fighting before. I am starving right now!"

"Come on let's go down stairs and see what we can find to put inside of your stomach. So did you find the test difficult?" She asked as they walked down to the kitchen.

"Not really, it was just what I knew already. Although, the potions portion, threw me for a loop. He wanted two poisons and a single antidote for both."

"How would you do that? Wait don't tell me!" She thought as they walked down to the kitchens. After a few minutes of searching for the elusive kitchen she finally thought of a plan. "Make poisons with similar effects then make an antidote that stops the effect. What did you do?"

"Basically that. Finally some food." He entered the kitchens and started searching for food, which he found. After, stuffing his face for a few minutes he met the craving in his stomach. "So, I guess I have nothing to do until school starts. This previous week I studied, ate, and slept. But, now I have no idea what to do with my life.

"Most of us have to do our shopping today, although you have already gotten your items for this term, you can come with us."  
"Sure, I would like to go. I have some business to attend to there." They went outside for a walk around the castle, where they took a walk through the forest.

"So where are we going first?" Harry asked the group. "Hey Tonks how many of the guard are here? He whispered to her.

"Many are around watching you all." She seemed to refuse to talk about it anymore. They walked through many stores and eventually got all of their books and robes. When they got all necessary items for the next school year, they decided to explore a little more, and see if they could find any other interesting items to buy.

"We can go visit the twins' store!" Ron suggested. The others agreed fervently and they made their way to the store.

"Harry keep walking." Ion moved next to him and began to whisper. Come with me to Knockturn Alley, we could use your cloak you have told me about."

"What do you need there?" Harry asked in a very low voice.

"I just need to get something quickly. Are you going to come with me?"

"Alright. Let's find someplace clear to get the cloak on us." They found a small nook in the store and put the cloak on. After a few moments of dodging people and getting out of the store, they jogged to Knockturn Alley.

"Harry, wait for me in front of Gringotts in ten minutes." Ion walked into the store he previously found the silver dagger. He then asked the store keeper, "Do you still have the dagger and ring in stock?"

"Oh it is you. No I do not have it anymore." The man seemed very annoyed for some reason.

"Who bought it?" Ion asked rather kindly.

"None of your business. It is not my responsibility to cater to you. You can leave if you are not going to buy anything." Ion turned to leave and a girl entered as he left.

"Don't bother talking to him. He is in a bad mood, he might overcharge you." He told the girl as she passed him.

"Thanks." He looked back and then continued to walk. Ion walked to Gringotts, but a hand suddenly landed on his shoulder. He quickly turned with his wand ready.

"Calm down. You're the one who snuck out of the group. Did you really think I wouldn't notice?" Tonks asked.

"I went to get my wand." He pulled it out and showed her. "See, I'm not using a hand me down anymore." He went back to the rest of the group. "Could we get something to eat, I'm stuffed, and I have a few more coins to spend." They went to eat at the Leaky Cauldron. Ion, Harry, and Ron sat at one table, while the girls sat at another. After a few minutes of Ron showing the two the items he picked up at the joke shop, the girl who passed Ion walked into the pub. There were no tables empty in the entire establishment, which seemed to trouble her. When she saw Ion she smiled and walked over.

"Thanks for the warning. He was in the mood for ripping people off."

"Glad he didn't get you." He smiled at her.

"There are no seats in here do you mind if I sit here?" She looked at the faces at the table.

"Heavens no, we don't mind." Ron had blurted out. "We would be upset if you sat anywhere else." Ron obviously felt she was attractive. The girl seemed quite cheerful and bouncy in her actions. She wore bright light colored muggle clothes. Nothing about her seemed depressing at all. Ron apparently had an instant magnetism to her.

"Thanks." She laughed at the boy zeal. Harry seemed to be bothered. He thought that she would be asking him for an autograph any minute, or she would be trying to ask him some questions about something. After a few moments of talking, Harry seemed to enjoy the upbeat company of the girl; she did not seem to care that Harry Potter sat next to her.

"So what is your name?" Ion asked the girl.

"Eshana. And you all?" Now, Harry felt anxious. If she had not known before, then she will now. They all answered and she greeted them all with their full names. "I assume you all go to Hogwarts. I can tell because you are going school shopping. It seems almost any group of younger people go to Hogwarts."

"What do you do?" Ron asked.

"I got out of school recently, and now I am just doing some personal research. If what I am researching turns out the way I want, the whole world will be better off. But, I can't tell you about it. Not because I don't trust you, but because I don't know you. Plus, I can't have any rivals beating me to my discovery." She winked at them.

"Is it a new spell or something?" Harry asked very curious.

"You don't ask me, and I won't lie." She smiled. Then the girls came over to the table, curious to see the new person at the table. They introduced them to the new arrival. After a few moments, Eshana felt very odd because of the somewhat hostile looks she was getting from the girls. "Well, I think I have to go. It is time I return to my work." She got up and left, followed by the group. They had headed back to the castle, where they would eat lunch and enjoy the rest of the day on the beautiful grounds.


	9. Revealing of a Name

Chapter Nine: Revealing of a Name

"I am so excited! School will be here so soon." Hermione was jumping up and down in joy. "This will be our first year of N.E.W.T practice."

"Relax Hermione. Don't make us study already. The exams are coming in roughly two years." Ron did not want any studying to burden the last few days of freedom left. The group had been spending many days on the beach of the island, gradually getting to know Ion better. Though, he still felt like an outsider, they were slowly taking him in. The group had separated as they all returned to the castle to get food.

"Harry, how long have you liked Ginny?" Ion asked Harry with a grin.

"Huh? What are you talking about? I don't like her," Harry stammered.

"I won't tell her, even though I should. It is okay if you don't want to admit it to me. I wouldn't tell her or Ron. Wow, I am really hungry." They walked for a few more feet and Harry stopped Ion.

"Look, I like the girl. I do like her a lot, but I don't think Ron would like it. I'm sure he will say I'm betraying him. Plus, she used to like me, but now it seems she has moved on," Harry said quietly. A pressure seemed to relieve off of his shoulders.

"She likes you, man. I say you tell Ron, and see if he minds." They arrived at the castle with the rest of the group close behind, gaining on them. They had entered the kitchen to find Mrs. Weasley making lunch for them. She prepared a small lunch for the group, which she had Ginny help her serve.

"So, I hope you get sorted into Gryffindor," Hermione said sitting next to Ion.

"Oh yeah, I completely forgot that I haven't been sorted. Professor McGonagall said I would make a great Gryffindor, but I cannot be sure." Ion seemed rather concerned with the conversation and the future of his school years.

"Don't worry about it. You will get into whatever suits you best, and no matter what we will still be friends, even if you get into Slytherin." She smiled and continued eating. The group moved to an open field on the grounds, where they played with a fanged Frisbee. After the tiring day each student returned to their respective rooms, where most of them fell asleep immediately. But, an owl was waiting for Ion in his room; on its leg there was a small piece of parchment rolled up on it. Ion removed the parchment, unrolled it on his desk and began reading.

_Dear Ion, _

_ I know your school year is coming up, and I want to wish you luck. I hope you enjoy the rest of your vacation to the fullest. This is where I come in. I am actually back in Diagon Alley for a few days; would you like to spend some time here before term begins? It is okay if you don't, I am sure you have plans already with your friends. I really do want to spend some time with you and get to know you better. Plus, I really do not know anyone around here at all; it would be so nice to have some good company for my time here. Reply with your decision. I will be staying at the Leaky Cauldron._

_ Eshana_

'Sounds like a plan. I wish I had more money, but I guess the little I have must do.' Ion began writing a letter to reply.

_Dear Eshana,_

_ That sounds like a great idea. I will try to get there as soon as possible. I hope to see you soon! I will send you a letter if anything else happens. _

_ Ion_

Ion went to Harry's room and knocked. Harry opened the door looking very tired. "Sorry to bother you, but could I use Hedwig for a quick letter?"

"Sure, she is in the owlry. Wait, not to be nosey, but who are you sending a letter to? I mean you are similar to me in the fact that you have very few people to send letters to. Is everything okay?"

"It is just to that girl we talked to during that day in Diagon Alley." Harry smirked very openly.

"So, love letters is it?"

"No, she just invited me to spend a few days with her in Diagon Alley, while she is in town you know. This brings me to another question. How do I get off this island?"

"Come in, Ion." Ion looked concerned for a moment. But Ion followed him into the room. "I understand you like her, but you have to understand what this island is. It is our lifeline, yet our prison. Dumbledore puts us here to make sure Voldemort cannot get to any of us. She may be after me or my friends, and could be working for Voldemort. So, if you want to leave the island I suggest you learn how to Apperate, learn to make a Portkey, or ask Dumbledore."

"So you are saying, though I am of legal age, I am a prisoner here?" Ion stood up straight. "How can I talk to Dumbledore, right now?"

Harry was shocked at the question. "Uh, uh the fireplace can allow you to contact him in the office, but it won't allow you to go anywhere else."

"Teach me how to use it." Ion walked down the stairs to the living room where the main fireplace was. Where Harry got the jar of Floo Powder, and he taught Ion how to use the Floo Network. Ion asked Harry to call Dumbledore for him, which he did obligingly. A moment later Dumbledore's face was illuminated in the fireplace.

"Hello Ion. What could I do for you?" Dumbledore seemed to have expected this sort of contact eventually.

"You do not seemed surprised—"

"Harry could we please have a moment alone?" Dumbledore asked Harry kindly. Harry nodded and walked up the stairs quietly, but not to his room. He turned to go straight to Ron's room.

"Ron, Ion is furious with Dumbledore."

"Why?" Ron asked rather alarmed.

"Because we aren't allowed off of this island under any circumstance. I understand what he means. This place is beautiful, but it lacks freedom. I shouldn't have suggested moving headquarters here; it just gave us a bigger but more secure prison." Ron nodded in agreement and the two sat in contemplation, while Dumbledore and Ion had their discussion.

"What is it that is bothering you exactly, Ion?" Dumbledore looked into Ion's eyes through the fireplace. He showed mild sadness.

"Tell me why every exit off of the island is non-existent? It seems that if we want to get off the island we have to go through you first."

"For everyone's protection, Ion. The world has dangers, and this island represents an escape from the various dangers." He looked at the boy sadly, "I am sorry you live in a world so riddled with peril."

"Tell me Dumbledore! Just tell me! Who are you protecting keeping me here? Me? Or is it too dangerous having the son of the darkest wizard ever run freely. Afraid I'm gonna go join Dad?" Ion was furious.

"Ion, please. I trust you. I really do. But, he will come after you if he knows you have gotten out of the Muggle World. He may want to harm you. But, I understand that you are of age, and you are under no immediate dangers." Dumbledore seemed to be thinking very deeply for a moment. "Could we perhaps come to a compromise? If you allow a member of the Order, which I am sure you know about by now, to be a guard for you, you can do what you wish?"

Ion called down significantly. "It is not the same, but if it helps you sleep at night, sure. I want to leave tomorrow for a day. I am visiting a friend that I recently met, it is a girl."

"Oh, can you trust her completely??

"No, but that is what the trip is for."

"I understand then, as long as you are vigilant of all dangers. I will assign you a guard as soon as possible." The two seemed to come to an understanding and the fireplace calmed down. Ion returned to his room and decided he needed to send the letter. He sent it only to find Harry waiting for him there.

"Is everything okay?" Harry asked Ion.

"I guess it is. I am going to go see her tomorrow." Ion sent the letter and walked down with Harry. Then, Ginny appeared from the shadows. She looked tired and confused.

"What was all of the yelling for?"

"You heard that? I thought it wasn't that bad." Ion laughed slightly and returned to his room.

"Harry, what happened? I heard Ion yelling, did you two have a fight?" Ginny asked very concerned. "I heard him as I was going to the bathroom.

"No, Ion and I are perfectly fine. But, he and Dumbledore weren't. I had no idea Ion was yelling at him. Did you hear anything at all? I know he was mad that we couldn't leave to island when we wanted."

"Oh, I see. I didn't hear much at all, except Ion was asking Dumbledore what he was afraid of. That's all. Did they come to a peaceful resolution?"

"He is leaving tomorrow to go see Eshana. I guess Dumbledore is letting him go. It makes sense since he doesn't have any enemies yet. Well, when people see him with us, he will." The two then both left to the kitchen to have a small snack before bed. They sat on the couch talking about what they planned for the next school year, until Ginny fell asleep on his lap. Harry kissed her head, and tried to go to sleep too.

"When are you coming back? And be careful, it is not safe out there anymore!" Hermione demanded. Ion smiled at her concern and proceeded to leave that island with his guarding member, Tonks.

"Tonks I am sorry I have to drag you around like this. You know Dumbledore is paranoid."

"It is okay. I am glad to get away from typical Auror work for a while, it is a welcomed break." They left the castle and apperated into Diagon Alley. "Enjoy yourself. I will be around if you need me."

Back in the castle, the others decide to busy themselves until the school year came.

"Do you think Ion will be okay?" Hermione asked the rest of the group. "You can't be sure nowadays. Things happen and you can't reverse time effectively."

"Hermione, relax. He is strong, and he is smart. He isn't really a target for anyone right now, so his chances are really really high for making it back alive." Ron seemed annoyed at her needless worrying. "Harry, are we going to have the D.A this term?" Ron asked trying to change the subject.

"I hope so. It seemed to be beneficial, but maybe it would just be better to have a dueling club." Thinking for another moment he said, "Let's ask Dumbledore." Harry and the others sent a letter to Dumbledore asking whether they can continue to have D.A meetings anymore. "We should practice; we will be the leaders, which requires us to be skilled as soon as we arrive." The others agreed to this and they went out onto the grounds for a few rounds of dueling. "Ron and Ginny have a light duel, and so will me and Hermione."

Moving near Harry and whispering in his ear Hermione asked, "Why didn't you duel with Ginny, you like her ,right?"

"Who told you?" She laughed at his reaction.

"I guessed it, and your reaction just told me." She smiled and walked a distance ahead of him to prepare for her duel with Harry. They both pulled out their wands and agreed on beginning. Harry, being adept at fast casting and maneuvering, cast a number of stunning spells directly at Hermione, without a single warning. She casted her Shield Spell quickly, deflecting the spells to the side. Then dropping her shield she casted a Disarming Charm on him, which he avoided. Harry, then casted a Reducter Curse at her, nearly hitting her feet, yet leaving a hole in the ground near her. She quickly gained her bearings as she casted a series of spells. She placed them in a wide spray pattern so they would be difficult to avoid. Harry dodged the first few but was hit by one. As soon as the beam of light hit him, his legs started to get stiff very quickly until he could not move them at all. But, he could still cast spells, which he did. He sent a barrage of spell at Hermione, sending her dodging like mad. She eventually fell into the hole made by the previous curse. Her fall allowed her to dodge the rest of the barrage, but it placed her into a rather vulnerable spot. She casted a Shielding Charm quickly, and got to her feet, while the Leg Locker Jinx that had been on Harry faded.

She then casted a water gun spell—water streamed from her wand confusing and disorienting Harry. After a few seconds of confusing, Harry used a spell to deflect the stream of the water, and he tried to cast a Petrifying Curse on her, but she dodged and continued the assault with water. "Hermione, thanks for the bath!" He deflected the stream again and attempted to stun her, but she deflected the spell at him. He attempted to dodge, but the ground was too muddy. He slid uncontrolled out of the range of the spell, but completely vulnerable. Though trying hard to fight it, he fell into the mud. Viciously, she casted a series of hexes at him, but he managed to slip away with a combination of Shield Spells and simple rolling. 'Expecto Patronum!' The great stag erupted from his wand and charged at Hermione. Though she could be harmed by it, it offered a great cover for his bright red stunning spell. After yelling, 'Stupefy!' the red beam bursted from his wand and went straight through the stag, hitting Hermione directly on the chest. After bringing her back to consciousness, they switched partners, which left Harry against Ron and Ginny against Hermione.

"What else can we do? I think we did everything there is to do in Diagon Alley." Ion smiled at the girl as they walked down the street, with his arm around her.

"We can sleep because I am exhausted. The sun is setting, let's go watch it." They walked to a small park area of Diagon Alley that had a perfect view of the sunset. The moment the sun was setting their lips met, resulting in a smile on their faces and butterflies in their bellies. While the sun was fully setting, Eshana put her head on Ion's lap letting her soft hair flow on his legs. "I am very glad you came. You are nice company. I am actually sorry to have to see you go." She looked into his eyes.

"I do not want to, but you understand it is important that I finish school. But, we can spend time together whenever you want. I will make time for you." Ion caressed her hair softly.

"I won't be around very often, I travel a lot. Until my research project is finally done, I won't be in one place for very long at all. I want to spend more time with you, and get to have a relationship with you, but you see it is not possible." She seemed almost ready to cry then she turned her head away from him to the sunset—the last rays of the sun were disappearing.

"So, we can never be more than friends? Well, until you finish this work you are doing, correct? But, by that time you probably won't want me at that time. Are you sure there is no other way?" He looked almost desperate.

"No, I will work harder for you, Ion. I will work faster, I promise." She turned back to him, her face almost completely hidden by the darkness, except for a few shiny tears dripping from the side of her face. "Can we please talk about something else?"

"Yes, of course." He kissed her forehead gently. "Tell me about your past. Your family." She seemed to look off in the dark distance again—she searched for the moon in the vast sky.

"My family is not here. They died when I was young. I stayed with family members, friends of family, and foster homes as I grew up. Until, I received a letter that I was a witch, and then I was 'saved'. I went to Durmstrang, and graduated top of my class. Then a few years later, I became the young woman with her head comfortably on your lap. So tell me, what is it that made Ion Winterz the man he is."

"I grew up in hell, to put it simply. I was entered into a foster family roughly at the age of five. I had an adopted mother and father before that age, but they died. Then I spent most of my years in the orphanage, and then I received the letter inviting me to Hogwarts. Now you have me, the sad boy, who enjoys your head resting so perfectly on his lap."

"How did they die?" She seemed curious. "My family died in an accident when I was very young."

"My father killed my mother, and then I think I killed him. The memories are faded and extremely fuzzy, but I have been trying to see them more clearly lately. I believe I burned him, after he killed her. I do wish those things didn't happen, but I don't live my life ruled by those events. I am here and I am now, not back then."

"Wow. That's a pretty heavy past you have there." She stood up and kissed him on the cheek, and then rested her head on his shoulder. "It is time for us to go. I have to leave tomorrow."

"So soon?"

"Yes, things come up. Today was great; it will make me smile on my more lonesome days to come." They got up and he walked her to The Leaky Cauldron. There they parted and Ion met up with Tonks again. She understood the look of despair on his face and just patted him on the back and gave him a hug, which he returned. She pulled out the Portkey, and they disappeared.

"More good news, Bella?" The man knew the answer was "no", but he couldn't be upset with her. She had done a nearly impossible task, and should be properly appreciated.

"Somewhat, My Lord. I have found a possible title for Him. After communicating with some contacts, a few have given me the name, 'Horndoom'. It seems that he is going on that title now. I believe he has to travel more, and talk to more people now. The items are getting more elusive, and people more cautious. I have yet to find any description of Him, but I believe that he will soon have to come out in the open to retrieve that last few orbs. If he wishes to have them all, then he must go through you, My Lord. At which time, you may destroy him." She kneeled down lower for fear that she had upset him.

"A name, I see. This is useful. Of course it is an alias, but he must use it because he must be coming out in the open. The strangest part of this is that none of his Brotherhood members have been seen, or mentioned. It is very possible that Horndoom doesn't even work on these missions. He could just be sending his servants in his place, which makes things harder, yet more interesting." The pale man though quietly for a few moments. "Continue your good work Bella. Please we are getting much closer. I will have more people that you may get information from and other plans for action. I would do this myself, but it is too dangerous with me going out there with no cover."

"One more thing, My Lord. I have gotten the papers you requested from Gringotts. The private meeting you have requested has been accepted by a very high member of the bank. I assure you complete secrecy and security when the meeting occurs. The Goblins hate The Ministry and do not take sides. You will be safe; just send him a letter with the date and time of the meeting, he will accept anytime you choose." Bella left with the approval of her master, and Voldemort read through all of the papers.

"It is time you get what you deserve." He read with a small smile across the thin line of his mouth.

REVIEW?!


End file.
